Screams and Sighs
by Psychedelicate Poltergeist
Summary: Following the second trial, Kazuichi visits a depressed Fuyuhiko in the hospital in an attempt to comfort him. It only takes that single incident to draw the two closer and develop a close friendship - and perhaps something more. Meanwhile, the School Trip of Mutual Killing continues to inflict despair upon them and their classmates. What will it take for hope to prevail?
1. Prologue and Chapter 1: The Beginning

_Hello hello, you have reached the beginning of the first multichaptered fic I've written in ages! And yep, it's a nice and slow KuzuSouda relationship development fic. Or I hope it's nice and slow, anyway XD_

 _So this fanfic starts at the beginning of Chapter 3, and will progress all the way up to the ending of the game. As a result, spoilers will be present for SDR2 - if you haven't finished the game and don't want to be spoiled, I'd suggest saving this fic for when you do. There will be no major canon alterations in this fic except for some significantly minor additions I've added in for Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi's relationship to develop as friends and, of course, lovers._

 _I'm also going to refer to all the characters by their first names by default, since I'm more used to the official English translation of the games than the Japanese._

 _One more thing: the prologue and the first chapter are both in the same entry because the prologue was written after a few chapters were already published, and I couldn't figure out how to make a separate entry for it that took place before every other chapter of the story. So please bear with me on that one_.

 _With all that aside, please do sit back, relax and enjoy. :)_

* * *

 **Prologue: The Fallen**

He watched, with bated breath, as the Ultimate Swordswoman flitted across the landscape, effortlessly slicing through the wooden dummies with her trusty sword. Beneath her clouded glasses, her eyes were glued to the Ultimate Yakuza in the small audience who stood nearby, his fists clenched and tear tracks evident on his cheeks.

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. The boy he'd feared, up until now. The boy he'd ridiculed, as a means to compensate for his own weakness. The boy he never knew could possibly have a more vulnerable side to him.

The boy he now pitied, and yearned to understand.

Possessed by the strings of a marionette, Peko continued to tear down her opponents in one full swoop, her eyes still trained on her childhood friend. She was seemingly unfazed by the harsh reality that her life was about to come to an end, right here, right now, and the Ultimate Mechanic, Kazuichi, desperately wished that he could look at the face of death without fear.

Beside him, Fuyuhiko couldn't take it anymore. Without warning, he burst out onto the battlefield and never looked back despite the other students' pleas for him to stop. By then, Peko was preoccupied with a small group of dummies, and so her back was turned to Fuyuhiko - until she turned around, just as he'd caught up to her, and her sword created a clean cut across his left eye.

Peko's eyes widened in horror, and Kazuichi's heart sank.

Now free from her strings, Peko held Fuyuhiko close to her, using her arms to shield him from any oncoming dummies. Solemnly, she closed her eyes, a single tear rolling down her cheek - and the next thing they all knew, the battlefield was speckled with her blood, with some of Fuyuhiko's mixed in.

 _"If you didn't have that big Yakuza title, you'd be nothin' but a midget!"_ the Kazuichi of the past jeered at him, instantly reminding him that this insult was much harsher in hindsight - because it was true. Fuyuhiko wasn't the stereotypical Yakuza. He was a human being, just like the rest of the students. But did that mean that he was weak? Or was Kazuichi still the weaker one?

Upon Monomi's announcement that Fuyuhiko was still alive, Kazuichi and the rest of his living classmates scrambled to his side, where he lay beside the lifeless body of Peko. His face was coated in blood, most of which was sourced from the deep gash in his eye, and he gurgled quietly in nausea and pain.

"Y-you can save him, right!?" Kazuichi shouted at Mikan as she knelt down and gently placed Fuyuhiko's head on her lap. "You're a nurse, aren't you!? D-do somethin'!"

"I-I-I'm trying my b-best!" Mikan stammered as she examined Fuyuhiko's facial features. "B-but I think I n-need extra equipment t-t-to take c-care of this!"

"GODDAMNIT!"

"H-hey, Monokuma needs to save him himself!" Monomi pointed out. "After all, if he doesn't, he'd be breaking one of his own rules! "Only the blackened must die during an execution."

"Urgh, that's true…" Monokuma sighed. "Don't worry! Fuyuhiko will be safe in the paws of Doctor Monokuma!"

Somehow, Kazuichi doubted that. And yet, he was hopeful that Fuyuhiko could, in fact, be saved. He wanted to understand him more. He couldn't deny that he and Fuyuhiko hadn't figured out the right footing with one another, but maybe, just maybe, they would come to respect each other.

As Monokuma drove away from the trial room with Fuyuhiko in an ambulance that had appeared, Kazuichi resolved that the time to at least be cordial with Fuyuhiko started now.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Beginning**

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu woke with a start, his face flushed as beads of sweat raced down his temple. He heaved a loud gasp, squeezing his eyes shut in a futile attempt to keep the tears at bay regardless of the otherwise empty hospital room he lay inside.

He took several moments to control his breathing and slow down his racing heart. His eyes remained closed as he forcibly shoved the images of bloodied corpses out of his mind - those of his sister, the girl involved in her murder, and… and-

His mechanism failed as he trembled at the thought of her. The realisation that she was dead, and it was all his fault, made him break down all over again, shivering and whimpering helplessly on the hospital bed.

The voice at the back of his head was telling him to snap out of it and act like a Yakuza for once, but it was ignored and outnumbered by the overload of grief and trauma Fuyuhiko had suffered in just one day. Much as he tried, the recollection of her brutal execution would not leave him alone. It haunted him, how after everything she had done for him, this was how he'd paid her back. It should've been him who'd gotten executed. It was his fault Mahiru was dead, and it was his fault she was dead now too. So why wasn't he dead? He was the scummiest out of everyone involved in the Twilight Syndrome incident and the second murder trial on this School Trip of Mutual Killing. If he'd succeeded in stopping her from killing Mahiru… maybe she'd still be alive right now. Maybe she'd be right here, kneeling beside him, letting him pour out all his worries to her. She was the only one who listened to and understood him. No one else was interested in doing that.

Right?

He'd barely noticed the door opening, and he'd failed to notice the figure who had walked in until they came to rest beside his bed. He hastily quieted the pathetic noises he was making as he used the sleeves of his hospital gown to dry his eyes, scowling at his visitor. "Wh-whaddaya want?"

"There's no need to be like that! I only came here because I wanted to see how you were doing!"

"Well, I'm doing just fine thanks, ya happy?" Fuyuhiko snapped in irritation. His vision cleared as a result of the disappearance of his tears, and he glanced around at his surroundings. The sun was shining brightly through the drawn curtains of the hospital room, casting light upon everything contained within - from the crumpled blanket covering his body to the medical equipment hastily tossed to the side to the form of his companion, a young man dressed in such vivid colours he was sure to blind Fuyuhiko's remaining eye.

Said man - Kazuichi Souda - frowned, unsatisfied with the meagre response given to him. "Look, y'don't need to maintain this whole Yakuza image, y'know? It's okay to feel vulnerable sometimes." He paused, and Fuyuhiko wondered if he was trying to convince himself by saying that. "I… I do understand, though, how what happened yesterday would be enough to make you wanna give up on everything. I mean… it seemed like the world was out to get you, huh?"

Fuyuhiko snorted. "You suck at helping," he muttered, narrowing his eye.

Kazuichi chuckled half-heartedly. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that, but hey, I can't just pretend my friends aren't suffering, y'know? I'm sure we're all still a little shaken up, no matter how hard we try to hide it."

Fuyuhiko wanted to retort that he was perfectly fine and that he really didn't care about anyone on the island, but the words got caught in his throat, rendering him unable to spit them out as a result. He remained silent, staring into space, deciding to ignore Kazuichi for now.

It didn't stop the Ultimate Mechanic from speaking again, however, and the next thing he said caught Fuyuhiko's attention: "Hey, you remember the original point of this school trip, right?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"We were all supposed to make friends with each other, form bonds, all that sappy shit. It sounded stupid to me too, trust me, but I wonder… maybe Usa- Monomi was right. Maybe, as long as we all work together, no one else will get killed, and we'll all be able to get off this island."

"Tch." Fuyuhiko glared out the window overlooking the newly-discovered third island. "There's no way I'll be taking part in that. For all I know I'll end up being the next victim."

Kazuichi groaned in frustration as he reached up and pulled his beanie down over his eyes. "D-don't tempt fate, idiot! And don't go actin' like Komaeda, either! We're all gonna survive this trip and escape this island. Sure, we lost Byakuya, Teruteru, Mahiru and Peko-" Fuyuhiko couldn't help but shudder again as his childhood friend was mentioned "-but we can't let them die in vain, y'know? Let's do something amazing that'll make them proud!"

Fuyuhiko clammed up again. He began trembling once more, closing his eyes as his vision once again clouded up.

"H-hey, Fuyuhiko, are you okay!?" Kazuichi inquired, alarmed.

He heard a sniffle from the boy beside him, informing him that he had successfully applied further damage to Fuyuhiko's mental barriers. He glanced over to see that Fuyuhiko had his head in his hands. His heart sunk at the realisation that the second trial had affected the Ultimate Yakuza far greater than he'd anticipated.

Fuyuhiko bit his lip hard enough to draw blood from it. No. He wasn't going to cry in front of someone other than her again. He wasn't going to further taint his image as the Ultimate Yakuza. And most importantly, he wasn't going to rely on anyone else.

He felt the added weight of the hospital bed that signaled that Kazuichi had sat down beside him. He stiffened as he felt the other boy wrap an arm gently around him in something of a half-hug, and couldn't help but yell a muffled, wavering "get offa me!". But nonetheless, Kazuichi didn't take back any of his actions, and instead opted for carefully pulling Fuyuhiko closer to him, smiling down at the shorter boy.

"Hey now, it's gonna be okay," Kazuichi told him quietly.

"N-no it's not… ugh, go away…" The "tough guy" act was withering away more and more as time passed, and before Fuyuhiko knew it he was sobbing in the company of a fellow Ultimate - just as he did immediately before her execution, only it was one Ultimate now, instead of thirteen.

The two of them just sat there for a few minutes, Fuyuhiko chi weeping and Kazuichi murmuring comforting platitudes to him, continuing to half-embrace him. Finally, Fuyuhiko gradually began to quiet down again, as his trembling decreased and fewer tears escaped his eyes. Kazuichi instinctively pulled the small man closer to him, as eventually, the only sounds to be heard from him were quiet sniffles.

Shortly afterwards, Fuyuhiko pulled away, glancing up at Kazuichi with a red, puffy eye. He grimaced - his left eye was stinging from the tears now; he hadn't expected his left tear duct to be functional still.

"I…" He cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm sorry. For everything I've done. Everything that's happened was my fault… if it weren't for me… they'd still be here… right?" He looked away and bit his lip. "I bet they're all ashamed of me now. I bet she…" He trailed off, staring out the window, suddenly finding the overhead view of the third island very fascinating.

Kazuichi sighed in resignation. "I dunno man, I'm pretty sure the other guys in the Yakuza have done things a lot worse," he commented. "Haven't they murdered whole families without batting an eye or somethin'? N-now that's pretty horrific!" He shuddered, reaching up to pull his beanie down again.

"Coward," Fuyuhiko muttered, though something in him somehow mustered the ability to smirk. It vanished as quickly as it had appeared, however, and his expression reverted back to seriousness. "But, I guess you're right. Doesn't mean I don't have regrets, though."

"Guess what, you're human," Kazuichi pointed out after regaining his composure. "We all do."

Fuyuhiko dismissed his statement with a "no shit," and Kazuichi chuckled a little. "It looks like you're feeling a little better now, Fuyuhiko. Doing alright now?"

Fuyuhiko only grunted in response.

"...Listen, I won't deny that I didn't know Peko that well at all. If anything, she kinda freaked me out at first, so I kinda kept my distance from her… but… I don't know if you saw it in that class trial, but to me, it looked like she… really cared about you. Hell, she's utterly devoted to you. Why wouldn't she forgive you?"

"Because I sent her to her death!" Fuyuhiko snapped, glaring at Kazuichi as though the answer was so obvious that even a five-year-old would know. "I asked her to kill that Mahiru chick, and… and…" He swallowed and bit his lip.

"Okay, did you actually force the bat into her hands and threaten to kill her if she didn't go through with the order? No? Then she did it out of her own free will. She wanted to make you happy. She wanted to be this protective chick to please her young master, I'm sure…" Kazuichi trailed off, most likely thinking of how wonderful it'd be if Sonia Nevermind was this protective of him.

"It's still my damn fault she died!" Fuyuhiko snapped. "If I hadn't played the damn game, if I hadn't confided to her about my feelings about it…"

"Look, if you wanna find someone to blame so badly, I'd suggest blaming Monokuma. He's the entire damn reason why we're stuck in his stupid little killing game in the first place. He's trying to provoke us, isn't he? He's trying to hit out weak spots to spur us to kill each other… I dunno about you, but I'd rather not let him keep doing that!" Kazuichi took a deep breath, staring directly into Fuyuhiko's eye. "I… I hope you'll be outta here soon, Fuyuhiko. The rest of us do too. You're one of us, you're our friend. Don't forget about that, man."

"What, I'm the little blonde pipsqueak's friend too?" Fuyuhiko snorted in disbelief. "That's a great joke, I'll give you that."

"Hiyoko will come around soon, I hope. She's just… learning to cope, really. I mean, you're not so different from her, are you?"

It then dawned on Fuyuhiko that Hiyoko was in the same boat as him - she, too, had lost someone she'd deeply cared about. Her closeness with Mahiru had not quite reached the intensity of his bond with Peko - she'd only known her for… a week or two? Nonetheless, he knew that Mahiru's death had saddened her deeply as well, although she had an odd way of showing it.

"You should probably apologise to her once you're discharged," Kazuichi continued. "And for that matter, everyone else, too."

"Well… it's not like there's anything else I can do, right? It's not like I can ever bring Peko back, right?"

Kazuichi slowly shook his head.

Fuyuhiko realised that he was actually feeling a lot better now. He didn't know what had possessed Kazuichi to come all this way to talk to him, but… all his admittedly sappy words about getting closer with everyone else and making the now-deceased Peko proud had actually made a positive impact on his emotions. For now, at least.

"So why'd ya come down here to check on me, anyway?" He decided to ask.

Kazuichi shrugged. "I dunno man, I guess it's because I never got to talk to you much at all. You were antisocial as fuck and I wondered what the hell was up with that. I guess I just wanted to come help a man out. I mean, if no one else can, then who will?"

Fuyuhiko smirked. "You suck at comforting people." _I'm only kidding, bastard. Thanks a lot, really._

Kazuichi laughed. "Well, I'd better get going now. It's almost lunchtime. When does Mikan pop by, do you know?"

"She said she'll check on me later tonight," Fuyuhiko replied.

"Neat. Well, take care, get well soon." Kazuichi smiled and waved, before heading out, leaving Fuyuhiko in his lonesome once more.

Fuyuhiko smiled as well - but only once Kazuichi had left the room.


	2. Chapter 2: The Bittersweet Apology

_Thank you so much for the feedback and support so far! I'm glad to see that people are enjoying this fic, and I hope it'll continue to satisfy you!_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The Bittersweet Apology**

Kazuichi quietly closed the door behind him and sighed. It wasn't easy for him to sit there and watch Fuyuhiko pour his heart out to him, especially considering his status as the Ultimate Yakuza. He was surprised he didn't break alongside him - the fact that this aloof, no-nonsense boy had been shaken up to such a degree stunned and angered him. Granted, he had witnessed Fuyuhiko's tears at the end of the second trial as well as his attempt to sacrifice himself for Peko, but considering everything that had happened for the past couple of days, he supposed it did make sense for Fuyuhiko to be so broken, Ultimate Yakuza or not.

He wondered if anyone else would've taken the time to visit him individually, aside from Mikan, who oversaw his physical injuries. He had been glad to see that his words had an effect on him; the question now was whether or not the effect would last long enough to get Fuyuhiko's emotional stability back on its feet.

Kazuichi smiled as he exited the hospital and glanced up at the sky. He couldn't help but picture Peko smiling down at him, impressed by his attempt to comfort her young master. He hoped that she was proud, at any rate, and that this would make up for his overall lack of social interaction with the two of them.

He mentally noted to himself that he would ask Mikan when he was due to be discharged next time he'd come across her, and he decided that either way, he was going to visit Fuyuhiko again the next day and see how he was going.

"Oi, Kazuichi!" A voice called out.

Akane Owari - the Ultimate Gymnast - was jogging towards him, waving cheerfully.

"Oh, hey!" Kazuichi called back, waving in turn.

Akane caught up to him and grinned. "Where've you been? I just found this awesome place you really should've checked out earlier - you'll love it!"

"Oh boy, is it a factory!?" The Ultimate Mechanic exclaimed, his eyes sparkling in excitement. "Please tell me it's a factory!"

"It ain't a factory, but it's still something you'll get a kick out of! C'mon now, I'll show you where it is!"

Kazuichi eagerly followed her, his excitement causing him to set aside his thoughts about Fuyuhiko for the moment. He was supposed to be exploring this new island with the other students, after all. Whatever it was that Akane had discovered, it had better be something that would allow him to relax and immerse himself into tinkering with scraps.

Shortly afterwards, they had reached their destination, and Kazuichi gasped in wonder. Akane was right - this place was right up his alley. Hell, one could say that it was an alley, sort of.

Lined along the path were several small blocks of buildings, of which appeared to be abandoned stores. Each abandoned store was stocked with a specific type of electronic device - televisions in one store, telephones and cell phones in another, computers and laptops in another and game machines and consoles in yet another. All of these electronics were vastly outdated, Kazuichi noticed - box-shaped TVs and computer monitors, as well aa flip phones. were a thing of the past. Back home, Kazuichi had the luxury of owning a 3D TV, a smartphone and even a laptop with a detachable screen. Mulling over all of the outdated tech before him, he figured that these stores - and these islands as a whole - had to have been abandoned around a decade ago. But why?

That didn't matter now - Kazuichi felt that after all that had been happening recently, he deserved a chance to sit down, relax and tinker with a neat variety of tech. He wondered if any of it was in working order - if not, he could fix it in no time.

He grinned broadly at Akane. "Hey, this is awesome!" He informed her excitedly. "Thanks a bunch for showing me this, I owe ya one!"

"It ain't a problem!" Akane smiled back. "Now have fun here while I go train with Nekomaru, 'kay?"

Kazuichi nodded as he sat down and got to work on a handheld game console. "Later!" He called as Akane ran off to wherever Nekomaru happened to be.

Kazuichi glanced down at the small device he now had in his hands. It was an oddly-shaped handheld that had curves running down the sides and back up again, almost like a slightly smushed rectangle. The surface of the handheld appeared to be a purplish blue colour. The centre of the object presented a decent-sized screen. On the left hand side, beside the screen, sat a small D-pad. Below it rested two simple, tiny circle-shaped buttons, one on top of the other. To the left of each button was a barely-legible label - "START" for the top button, and "SELECT" for the bottom one. The right-hand side boasted two larger round buttons beside each other - one with an "B" engraved on it, and the other with a "A". A set of speaker grills lived beneath these buttons, and above them was a small LED light, with the word "POWER" beside it.

Kazuichi pressed the on button that rested on the side of the handheld. Nothing happened. He rose to his feet and glanced around the shop, hoping to find a charger that would go with it, and, ideally, a power point. He successfully located both as he then ripped the charger out of its packaging and plugged it in to both the power point and the handheld, ensuring the switch on the former was switched on. However, the LED light on the latter still failed to light up, and there was no activity on the screen either. There was no denying it at this point - there was something preventing the device from working. Something Kazuichi had to fix.

He chuckled to himself merrily, pulled out his tools, and set to work.

* * *

Kazuichi ambled to the restaurant the next morning in a state of exhaustion. He'd ended up spending the entire afternoon, as well as most of the evening, busying himself with fixing and tinkering with the electronics in Electric Avenue. It was thrilling to properly engage in his talent for the first time in such a while - he couldn't even remember the last time he'd eaten away so many hours just from fixing up broken appliances. He missed those days with a passion, and he hoped that soon he'd be able to return home and indulge in his talent once more.

He patted the now-repaired handheld game console in his pocket. He decided to give it away to Chiaki Nanami - he had no use for the thing anymore, but he knew that she would happily accept the gift. She was the Ultimate Gamer, after all.

 _Probably best not to let Hajime see this_ , he thought in amusement. _I have a feeling he's already declared her his waifu or something! Oh, but I should make sure Sonia doesn't see either… it'd be best if she doesn't get jealous of Chiaki! Or maybe it'd be cute_...

By the time he'd entered the restaurant, four people were already seated at the long table - Chiaki, Ibuki Mioda (the Ultimate Musician), Hiyoko Saionji (the Ultimate Traditional Dancer) and Gundam Tanaka (the Ultimate Breeder). He was certain that more would start pouring in soon enough, though - who'd want to miss breakfast? _Certainly_ _not_ _Akane_ , he mused as he realised she wasn't present. That was odd - she was usually the first to arrive at the restaurant. What could possibly be holding her up?

"G'morning!" Kazuichi called out to the four, as he approached them and sat down beside Chiaki.

"Gooooood nom-nom-nomming!" Ibuki cried with a grin on her face.

"Good morning~!" Hiyoko's response was equally cheerful.

"Good morning to you, mortal," Gundam proclaimed. Kazuichi snorted and turned away from him. He's such a fuckin' weirdo, he couldn't help but think.

"Hi." Chiaki looked up from her breakfast and waved with a small smile on her face.

Kazuichi grinned. "Oh, Chiaki! I went ahead and fixed somethin' for ya." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the gaming handheld, handing it out to her.

The Ultimate Gamer's smile grew a little. "Oh, thanks," she said appreciatively.

"I snagged a couple games for it too," Kazuichi added, pulling out a few cartridges and offering them to her as well. "I left the charger at my cottage, but you can stop by after breakfast and grab it if you want."

Chiaki nodded, before she pocketed the handheld and games and returned to her food.

Within a few minutes, some of the other students had arrived at the restaurant and taken their places around the table, exchanging good mornings and chatting amongst themselves as they dug into their food. It was a relatively peaceful morning, one of calm and appreciation for the people on the island, both living and deceased.

Or so it seemed, at any rate.

A collective gasp fell across the room as the door to the restaurant opened. Everyone immediately abandoned their food and idle chatter, and scampered around the figure at the door.

Kazuichi blinked in confusion. The only living people missing right now were Hajime, Sonia and Nekomaru. And Fuyuhiko too, but he was way off on the 3rd island, recovering in the hospital. He'd asked Mikan about when he was due to be discharged, and the Ultimate Nurse had predicted he'd be in tip-top condition either the following night (now tonight) or the day after (now tomorrow). He held his breath. Were… were they being rescued!? Did this mean… they could finally go home?

However, when the Ultimate Mechanic rose to his feet and joined the crowd surrounding the figure, his blood ran cold. He gulped and immediately glanced at Mikan, tempted to scream something like _What do you mean, he's discharged right now!?_

"I got something I wanna say!" The figure announced, just as Hajime, Sonia and Nekomaru joined the ensemble.

"Fuyuhiko!?" Hajime piped up, his eyes widened in shock at the shorter boy's appearance. "Is it okay for you to be moving around so soon!?"

"Well… he shouldn't be okay…" Mikan squeaked, trembling slightly. It seemed she was just as worried and confused as everyone else, Kazuichi realised.

Fuyuhiko ignored Hajime's question and took a deep breath. "Whatever I say after this point… I apologise in advance if I make a mistake," he began. He straightened his posture, a glint of pride in his single eye - his left eye, Kazuichi noticed, was no longer obscured by a bandage, but rather a black eyepatch.

"My last name is Kuzuryuu! My first name is pronounced, "Fu-yu-hi-ko"! I'm still an inexperienced member of my family's business! From this point forward, I hope we get along so that we can get to know each other better!"

Kazuichi was stunned. This was odd. This wasn't the Fuyuhiko he'd known when they'd first arrived at the island… but this wasn't the Fuyuhiko he'd known at the hospital yesterday, either. What was going on? Had Kazuichi's advice… actually done him some good?

It was Gundam who'd stated Kazuichi's thoughts out loud - and, surprisingly, with no mention of evil overlords or alternate timelines or anything of that sort. "Just… what the hell was that?"

"I-it's nothing, really…" Fuyuhiko replied bashfully. "Just a greeting…"

"No, I mean, you just came all this way just to… just to…" Kazuichi mentally chided himself for his inability to complete his question; however Fuyuhiko seemed to recognise what he was trying to say.

"Greet you guys? Come on, it's nothing unusual." Fuyuhiko shrugged, as though greeting the collective of students was something he'd always been doing.

"B-but-"

"A-ah, Fuyuhiko!" Mikan squeaked. "Y-you have an eyepatch! Does that mean…?"

"I lost an eye?" Fuyuhiko finished. "Well, yeah. But hey, it's only an eye, y'know. Besides, doesn't this eyepatch make me look like I got some prestige or somethin'?" He smirked.

"W-wow, you lost an eye?" Sonia repeated sympathetically. "My sincerest apologies that that has occurred, Fuyuhiko."

"Hey, like I said, it's nothin'!"

"Why are you acting all cool and stuff!? Don't you realise the position you're in right now!?"

Everyone abruptly turned to Hiyoko. She had been standing rather stiffly for the past couple of minutes, her eyes narrowed in a manner unlike her usual playful teasing - in fact, it seemed more as though she were genuinely angry.

The small girl clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut. "Do you really think we'll forgive you that easily for what you did!?" Her lips began to tremble slightly, but this didn't stop her rant. "Don't you get it? It's your fault Mahiru is dead… no, not just Mahiru. Peko died because of you, too." She growled, and pointed an accusing finger at Fuyuhiko. "It's all your fault!"

 _He_ _already_ _knows_ , Hiyoko, Kazuichi wanted to say to her, but he felt it was better to remain silent on the matter. If this was how Hiyoko was to heal, then it would be ideal that he leave her be. He could only hope that her words didn't reopen any nasty wounds of Fuyuhiko's.

"U-um… Hiyoko…" Mikan stuttered, glancing worriedly between the two shortest students. "We've finally been able to get together with everyone…"

"Huh? So what if we're all here?" Hiyoko scoffed. "You'd better not say we're friends or something. There's no way a killer like him will ever be our friend!"

"H-hey, Hiyoko-" Kazuichi spluttered.

"Yeah, you're right…" Fuyuhiko interrupted. "It's all my fault…"

 _Damnit_! Kazuichi, at this point, had run short of ideas on what to do or say. This was not how he'd planned on spending his next encounter with Fuyuhiko. He was hoping the latter would at least be a little more mentally prepared to face Hiyoko…

"I already know… it's my fault… that those two are dead…" Fuyuhiko continued solemnly. He stared at the ground, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

But Hiyoko was still unimpressed. "Are you… planning to just give us your "so what?" attitude?"

"It's… not that…" And before he had the time to explain, Fuyuhiko collapsed to the ground.

Everyone gasped, and Mikan emitted a frightened squeak before tittering something about suspecting he was going to give out if he did too much physical activity at this rate. Hiyoko placed her hands on her hips and glared down at the keeling Ultimate Yakuza.

"Hey, don't mess with me! Do you really think we're gonna forgive you if you just drop to your knees and cry!? Do you really think a half-assed apology will make us forgive you for what you've done!?"

"No…" Fuyuhiko murmured in a low voice. "I don't think that at all…"

There was a silent, sickening sound that resembled a knife cutting through flesh - and almost immediately, blood spilled out onto the floor from Fuyuhiko's stomach.

Screams erupted from within the small restaurant - Kazuichi couldn't tell which one was his own, but he felt his throat vibrate slightly as he opened his mouth wide and stepped back from Fuyuhiko's fetal position on the floor. His vision began to blur as the pungent smell of blood filled his nose, almost knocking him out but certainly making him feel as though he needed to vomit. He decided to just sit in the nearest chair, barely hearing anything at all, and instead finding himself unable to do anything but watch Fuyuhiko slowly, precariously climb back to his feet, a hand clutching his bleeding stomach and blood trailing from his mouth.

"I-I didn't think… I'd be forgiven with such… a half-assed apology…" he confessed. "But… if I don't do this… m-my feelings won't feel resolved…!"

Kazuichi simply buried his face in his hands. No. This was not what he'd imagined happening at all. This was not how Fuyuhiko's apology was supposed to go. Maybe visiting him yesterday had been a terrible idea after all…

"You fool!" Nekomaru shouted. "That doesn't mean you should slice your stomach!"

"We must carry him to the hospital as soon as possible…!" Mikan cried.

"Y-You're right!" Nekomaru turned to Kazuichi. "Kazuichi… give me a hand!"

"Huh?" Kazuichi looked up. His vision had cleared somewhat, though he still felt somewhat dizzy. "Y-yeah… sure thing."

Nekomaru gave Kazuichi a look of concern, and opened his mouth to say something when Fuyuhiko cut him off.

"S-stop it… I can walk there myself…!"

"There's no way you can walk!" Mikan objected. "Haaah… even though I took the time to patch up, now I need to sew your wounds all over again!"

Fuyuhiko made a gurgling noise that was probably supposed to be a sigh, although Kazuichi couldn't really tell. What he could tell, though, was that Fuyuhiko appeared to be rather downcast. "Tch… I feel so ashamed… I-in the end, I made trouble for everyone again…"

"Wh-who cares about that?" Mikan exclaimed. "Let's go!" And with that, she, Kazuichi and Nekomaru all leapt forward to carry Fuyuhiko back to the hospital.

This really wasn't how Kazuichi had wanted to spend his morning. Or for that matter, his time with Fuyuhiko.


	3. Chapter 3: The Fears and the Antidote

**Chapter 3: The Fears and the Antidote**

Fuyuhiko grunted quietly as he slowly opened his single eye, blinking a few times until his blurry vision cleared. He was greeted by the sight of a pure white ceiling and a pungent, chemical smell that could only be associated with one thing - hospitals.

 _So I'm back here again, huh._

He slowly shifted in his bed in an attempt to sit up; however, his manoeuvre was disrupted by a sharp pain in his abdomen, causing him to yelp and fall limp like a rag doll. He heaved a deep sigh as the events of that morning returned to him - his botched attempt at apologising to everyone which ended in him slicing open his own stomach. He recalled Hiyoko's glares down at his figure on the floor and the words of disgust that flew from her mouth - genuine disgust that was very much unlike the teasing insults she threw towards Kazuichi and Mikan.

 _"There's no way a killer like him will ever be our friend!"_

Yeah. That's right. No one would even want to come near him now. By the time he was discharged he'd probably get tied up in the old building alongside the other lunatic, Nagito Komaeda. He wouldn't even be trusted to roam the islands alone. Everyone hated him now.

Except Kazuichi. Maybe. No, he doubted even he, the only one who'd bothered to visit him alone, would want to be his friend. He probably wasn't even going to visit him today after all that had happened. He wished he could've seen the expression on the mechanic's face as he was towed to the hospital. It was pathetic how he'd lost consciousness shortly after the trek began.

Fuyuhiko bit his lip as he slowly lifted up his hospital gown. The wounds on his stomach had been patched up; however, the remains consisted of a large, thick scar that extended from his thighs to just above his navel. This was a scar he had earned for nothing, he feared. A scar with a purpose that would never be fulfilled.

* * *

Fuyuhiko was discharged that night, after everyone else had eaten dinner. Mikan had looked him over and was pleased to inform him that he was good to get back on his feet and return to his daily activities. He was able to dress himself and return to his cottage without assistance, but even so Mikan had reminded him to come see her immediately should any problems occur.

Mikan, Fuyuhiko thought, was too nice for her own good. She was about as fragile as a plate of china, and the way she often stuttered and apologised in her speech suggested she thought everyone else were equally fragile. He had to wonder if she disliked any of her fellow students, although he wouldn't be surprised if she only tended to his wounds because she had to, rather than wanting to.

He was awfully pessimistic today, he noticed.

The Ultimate Yakuza crossed the bridge leading to the main island in silence. He gazed out at all of the cottages, arranged neatly into several rows, as he quickly pushed aside the thought that four of those cottages were now empty forever, Peko's included. He instead focused on the beach and the calm atmosphere that came with it - the moderate aroma of salty seawater, the soft grains of sand beneath his feet, the quiet sounds of crashing waves. The beach was truly a beautiful sight during the evening, as the large round moon would illuminate the area and bear a reflection in the twinkling sea. If there was one good thing to come out of this wretched school trip, it was the beauty of Jabberwock Island and its beaches. Fuyuhiko was sorely tempted to just sit down and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the alluring beach; however he knew it would be much safer to just go straight to his cottage. It'd be foolish for him to be vulnerable enough to be murdered by Nagito in the name of hope, or by Hiyoko in order to avenge Mahiru. Additionally, he wasn't in the mood for anyone to stop by and mouth off about how terrible a person he was.

Thus, he decided to resist the temptations of the beach and continue on to his cottage.

The Monokuma Announcement hadn't sounded yet; despite that, no one else seemed to be out and about. Many of the cottages' windows were open and the lights were on. Fuyuhiko saw that many of the other students had chosen to amuse themselves with their hobbies or talents before they turned in for the night - Gundam was feeding his Four Dark Devas Of Destruction, Chiaki was playing video games and Ibuki was writing something at her desk - song lyrics, perhaps? Some other cottages, meanwhile, had their curtains drawn and their lights out, which meant either of three different things - the occupant was asleep, somewhere else on the island, or dead. Fuyuhiko was glad to see that most of the students had wisely decided to remain in their cottages. He could only hope that no one who was out here was out to get him-

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?"

The sudden cry that burst out as Fuyuhiko turned towards his cottage caused him to jump. He quickly glanced around at the cottages nearby; all of them had their curtains drawn. Not that it mattered anyway.

He darted his eye towards his cottage, where Kazuichi was standing, blocking the entry, a half-empty bottle of cola in his hand. His eyes were narrowed in a glare, and his sharp set of teeth were bared as he frowned at the smaller boy in disappointment.

Fuyuhiko growled in a manner of what he hoped would be perceived as annoyance. "What do you want?"

"I wanna know what the hell was up with this morning!" Kazuichi snapped. "Why would you do that!? Why would you-"

"Y'know, if you really wanted to kill me right here, right now, your shouting isn't doing you any favours," Fuyuhiko informed him with a smirk.

Kazuichi froze, as the colour drained from his face, his mouth gaping open in horror. "Wh-what the hell!?" he screeched. "I don't wanna kill anyone! Hell, you're one of the last people I'd even think about killing! The hell's wrong with you!?"

Fuyuhiko bit his lip in disbelief. "...so, you were concerned about me, weren't you?" he drawled semi-sarcastically.

Kazuichi looked away from him with a sigh. "...yeah. I wanted to stay with you in the hospital, but Mikan wouldn't let me until she'd finished closing up your wounds. And then Chiaki wanted me to grab the charger for the video game handheld I built her yesterday, and Hajime wanted to hang out with me, and this whole afternoon was too hectic for me to visit you even if Mikan allowed me to." He bit his lip and looked up. "This is probably gonna sound retarded as hell, Fuyuhiko, but I was worrying about you all day. Because… I don't wanna die. I don't want anyone to die. I just want us all to hurry up and go home, return to our daily lives… go back to being normal people… and… we'll remember those we've lost, too. Even when we leave, Byakuya, Teruteru, Mahiru and Peko should never be forgotten."

It was then that Fuyuhiko realised that even the possibility of being freed from this hellhole and returning home didn't sound quite as appealing as it did when he'd first awakened on this island. Home… it just wasn't going to be the same. He no longer had a little sister to return home to, nor did he have a childhood friend to return home with. Home was just another life of death and suffering surrounding him, with the added bonus of Yakuza heir responsibilities being saddled onto him. He'd succeeded in enduring it thus far, as long as he had Natsumi and Peko with him. But now that they were both dead, the thought of fully returning to Yakuza life seemed a lot more frightening. He wasn't sure if he could stand it without Natsumi and Peko by his side.

It was almost a sadistic choice - where would he rather live? A beautiful island with several other teenagers, a malevolent stuffed bear and a seemingly morally good stuffed rabbit where he and his classmates were forced to kill each other? Or a lavish mansion where his moral support were dead and he was pressured to kill rivals and enemies by his parents? He wondered how many of the other students on this island had a normal, healthy family waiting for them to return home. He wondered how many of them would choose home over the island in a heartbeat. It was clear that Kazuichi did. He was obviously fortunate enough to have family and friends back home who loved him, who awaited his safe return. It was something that Fuyuhiko truly envied him over.

"Fuyuhiko?" Kazuichi called, pulling him out of his reverie.

"Hm? Right, yeah, going home and all that shit."

Kazuichi, tired of standing for so long, sat down with his back against Fuyuhiko's cottage door. Fuyuhiko joined him, sitting beside him with his legs crossed. The two of them just sat in silence for awhile, aside from the soft chirping of crickets and Kazuichi's occasional gulping down cola.

"...seriously though, Fuyuhiko," Kazuichi spoke again as he placed the lid back on his cola bottle. "What the hell possessed you to slice your stomach open like that? You could've died!"

"I wasn't intending to," Fuyuhiko muttered. "I only wanted to apologise that way because I knew that mere words wouldn't be enough. And I was right - they weren't."

"They were to me!"

"You were the only one who bothered to talk to me about it yesterday!"

"So?"

"So!? I WENT OUT THERE AND APOLOGISED BECAUSE OF YOU!"

A stunned silence followed this sudden confession.

"You… did?" Kazuichi whispered after a short while. He glanced down at his lap, seeming even more troubled than before.

"No shit! Right before you left the hospital yesterday, you told me to apologise to everyone. And guess what I did!? I did just that! Isn't that what you wanted me to do!? What more do you want from me!?"

"I didn't say you could get outta there before you were discharged and attempt seppuku in front of everyone!"

"But you didn't say I couldn't, either."

Kazuichi buried his face in his hands and groaned. "Of course. Of course I can't freakin' help anyone. I only make things worse…"

Fuyuhiko didn't know how to respond to that - he felt almost the exact same way at this point. All he'd done on this wretched school trip so far was be a hindrance to everyone. An inconvenience. First indirectly killing off Mahiru and Peko, and now worrying everyone over his little stunt that morning, Kazuichi especially. He wondered if an apology would be appropriate, albeit a small one.

"...I'm sorry," he mumbled. "For worrying you."

Kazuichi sighed. "I just wanna be useful to someone, y'know? No one ever gives me the time of day, not even Miss Sonia. So I thought I could be useful by seeing you and helping you out…"

"Well hey, no one else bothered to do that, so…" Fuyuhiko couldn't help but smile a little, hoping Kazuichi wouldn't notice it. "Thanks."

Kazuichi took his head out of his hands and met Fuyuhiko's gaze. "Just… please don't do something so drastic again. I seriously thought I accidentally killed you."

"If you did, I highly doubt you'd be executed for it, unless that damn bear was that sadistic," Fuyuhiko quipped with a smirk.

"Th-that's not what I'm worried about!" Kazuichi cried, clearly terrified by the mere thought of getting executed.

"Tch." Fuyuhiko continued to smirk in amusement.

The low atmosphere surrounding them had lightened up by then, and Fuyuhiko at least was presently in a better state of mind. Perhaps things weren't so hopeless after all.

"Hey, you didn't get to explore the third island yet, did you?" Kazuichi asked him.

"No, why?" Fuyuhiko replied.

"Well, d'you want me to show you around on it sometime tomorrow? It's really cool, it's got a few great places." From the way Kazuichi's eyes sparkled and his cheeks turned pink, Fuyuhiko wagered a guess that something mechanic-related was to be found there.

"I guess," Fuyuhiko answered. "I bet it's going to be boring as shit, though."

"Let's see if you say that after I give you that tour," Kazuichi joked, with a grin that exposed his impressive rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Fuyuhiko snorted. "So when and where do we meet up for this thing, then?"

"How about tomorrow straight after breakfast? We'll meet at the bridge to the third island."

"Alright," Fuyuhiko nodded.

"Awesome!" Kazuichi happily jumped to his feet and beamed down at Fuyuhiko. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow, huh?"

"Sure, goodnight." Fuyuhiko stood up as well and waved goodbye to the Ultimate Mechanic.

"Goodnight and sleep tight!" Kazuichi waved back as he headed back to his cottage.

Fuyuhiko couldn't help but smile as he watched his pink-haired classmate walk away. It seemed like Kazuichi was going to be his first friend on this island besides Peko. Kazuichi accepted him in a way that none of the other survivors did. He'd accepted him, for his fears and doubts, in a way that reminded Fuyuhiko of Peko.

The Ultimate Yakuza shook his head. No, he couldn't see it. Kazuichi still had a long way to go if he'd wanted to replace Peko. He had to admit, it would be rather disconcerting to see him fully adopt Peko's personality. If Kazuichi knelt by Fuyuhiko's bed as he awakened, he'd most likely be alarmed due to the former's shark-like teeth.

Fuyuhiko smirked in amusement at the thought as he unlocked the door to his cottage and stepped inside. It'd be much more entertaining for Kazuichi to just be himself. It was true that he was a rather dorky individual, but from what Fuyuhiko had seen of him thus far, he had a kind heart. It would be an interesting experience for him to get closer to this boy.

Maybe it would be beneficial for the both of them to become friends, Fuyuhiko figured, as he began to wonder what that might entail.


	4. Chapter 4: The Forgiveness of Fate

_Okay, it looks like I screwed up last chapter - in canon, Fuyuhiko wasn't really supposed to be discharged at all, and he only showed up at his recovery party all by himself but stayed in the hospital for the rest of the day. But here, I had him discharged earlier than I should've. This is why sticking to canon in fics like this is so tricky! Oh well, it's too late to go back and fix that up, and in any case it can't hurt to change a few small things around - right?_

 _Thanks again for all the likes and comments hurled my way. I hope I continue to impress! If anything seems off, or you have any constructive criticism, don't hesitate to let me know! Additionally, happy Easter to you all!_

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Forgivings of Fate**

Kazuichi removed his shoes and left them outside of his cottage before he opened the door and stepped inside. He flipped the light switch, and the room was immediately illuminated by the bright overhead globe. He glanced down at the watch on his wrist - just ten minutes before the Monokuma Announcement was due to sound. It would be best to go to sleep very soon, he decided - he was going to be hanging out at the third island with Fuyuhiko tomorrow. He couldn't help but smile at the thought. It seemed as though everyone else on the island had some kind of confidant to call their own - Sonia had Gundam (much to Souda's dismay), Akane had Nekomaru, Nagito had Hajime, who in turn had Chiaki, and Hiyoko had Mahiru, whom she was no doubt still mourning. Even Fuyuhiko had someone he could call a best friend - Peko. He was clearly still deep in mourning for her, too.

That left Ibuki and Mikan. Ibuki was the island's social butterfly, so while she didn't have any really close friends or confidants, she was able to get along with just about everyone with no problem. Kazuichi couldn't help but envy her for her lively, confident personality and her ability to get everyone to like her without even trying. On the other side of the coin was Mikan, who was painfully shy and quite difficult to hold up a conversation with, if Kazuichi's previous attempts at talking to her were any indication. She, just like him, was a victim of Hiyoko's jeers and taunts; if anything, Hiyoko seemed to enjoy picking on Mikan more than picking on him. And yet, Mikan was still liked by the others due to her naivety and overall cuteness.

And Kazuichi… he might as well be completely nonexistent. Until now, that is. Now, he was finally making a positive impact on someone. Now, he finally had a confidant. Someone who he could help out and listen to, and share his own feelings with in return. And maybe, just maybe, he could also be someone who he could just have fun with and forget the perils of this school trip with.

Kazuichi shuddered as he recalled the last time he was genuinely having fun with someone. Everything had been going so well, and they'd been having so much fun… until they entered the beach house, and saw the horrific surprise that awaited them there. And then, the murder before that - that had occurred during a party...

He bit his lip. Was this some kind of curse? Was he going to encounter another corpse of a classmate of his during his tour of the third island with Fuyuhiko? Was someone going to get killed every time he genuinely enjoyed himself? He desperately hoped that the timing of the previous murders was simply a nasty coincidence, but he couldn't bring himself to escape the fear that his fun and games would end in tragedy once more.

It was too much. If his best friend in middle school could betray and distance from him, then his best friend in high school could certainly get murdered on this school trip - hell, they could even be a murderer. His best friend in high school could even be dead already, he realised, as he remembered what Monokuma had said about their memories of their high school days being stolen away from them. He still found this hard to believe, but if Fuyuhiko didn't even remember the Twilight Murder Syndrome incident until now… then maybe…

He curled up into a fetal position, overwhelmed with fear and paranoia. He didn't want anyone else to die. He didn't know how he could handle it if anyone else were to get killed. So maybe, just maybe, the only way he could stop the murders was to avoid everyone, and remain miserable for the remaining duration of the school trip…

He was startled by a loud knock on his door. Still no Monokuma Announcement… who would want to visit him at this time of night? There were only two possibilities - Fuyuhiko, or… someone with murderous intent. Like Nagito. Oh God. Was Kazuichi going to be his next sacrifice tonight? That Grim Reaper-like boy had already cooked up some dangerous plan, had he?

The knock sounded again, this time accompanied by a voice - "Aw, c'mon, open up!"

It was a female's voice, but it wasn't as soft and dainty as Sonia's, nor was it harsh and mean-spirited like Hiyoko's. There was no way in hell Mikan or Chiaki would ever talk like that in their lifetime, and the voice was a bit too bubbly to be Akane's. So that could only mean…

"Hey, hey, does Ibuki need to beat the door down?"

Somehow, Kazuichi couldn't help but feel relieved. Ibuki had to be one of the last people on the island to even contemplate murder, and overall he just felt _safe_ whenever she was around. But even so, why had she taken the time to come all this way to his cottage…?

Nonetheless, Kazuichi stood up, walked over to the door and let her in.

"Geez, what took you so long?" She sighed as she practically leaped out of her shoes and into the cottage. "Ibuki was _freezing_ out there!"

"Sorry 'bout that," Kazuichi laughed. "I was just worried that someone had come to kill me, is all!"

"K-kill!?" Ibuki repeated, her eyes widening in horror. "No, no! Ibuki would never do that! Ibuki would never kill anyone! No, Ibuki wanted to give you this!" She pulled something out of her pocket and held it out to Kazuichi.

Kazuichi glanced down at the slip of paper that he took from Ibuki. It had a black and white checkered border, as well as a blue and a pink ribbon both resting on the upper left corner. In the centre, in large black lettering with blue, purple and pink outline, read:

 _Invitation Ticket_

 _9:00pm at "Titty Typhoon"_

 _Party for Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu's Recovery_

Kazuichi's eyes widened in surprise. Ibuki had planned a party for Fuyuhiko? She knew that he had recovered? He never knew she could be this thoughtful - but then, knowing her, she probably just wanted an excuse to rock out and have fun. _Or she_ _could be_ _hatching_ _a plan_ _to kill someone_ , the paranoid side of his mind thought.

He grinned at the Ultimate Musician. "Sounds like a great party you're throwing!" He told her. "I'll be there for sure!"

"Ibuki's not involved!" Ibuki objected as a small blush filled her cheeks. "Ibuki's just handing out the invitations, is all!"

Kazuichi chuckled a little. No, there was no mistaking it - only Ibuki would make invitations with a colour scheme that matched her outfit and hair.

"Ibuki has to go now!" She announced as she slipped her feet back into her shoes. "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight!" Kazuichi waved, and Ibuki returned the gesture before closing the door and heading off - likely to hand out the rest of the invitations. He glanced down at the invitation again. A recovery party for Fuyuhiko. It sure sounded like fun, paranoia and other such concerns aside. And it seemed that it was going to occur the next day, after his island tour with Fuyuhiko - therefore, two fun and enjoyable happenings were to occur in one day. Could lightning strike twice in a row? Somehow he doubted it.

He shrugged out of his jumpsuit and collapsed into bed just as the Monokuma Announcement alerted him to the fact that it was lights-out. The only way he could properly enjoy himself, he figured, was to refrain from even thinking that something unfortunate was going to occur. Tomorrow, he was going to enjoy himself to the best of his ability for once.

With that, he closed his eyes and plunged into unconsciousness soon after.

* * *

The next day felt like a perfectly normal day - truly as though this really was a school trip conducted purely to strengthen the students' bonds with one another. It was bright and sunny - what else was new? - and for the first time in days, everyone on the island were in a chipper, positive state of mind. (Or as positive as they could be, anyway, Kazuichi thought, as Hiyoko blew him a taunting raspberry when he'd asked her to pass the soba during breakfast that morning.) It seemed that everyone had planned some kind of outing with one another before the party that evening - Akane and Nekomaru would be training together on the second island, Sonia, Gundam and Mikan were to hang out at the library, Hajime, Hiyoko, Ibuki and Chiaki were about to hold a miniature concert in memory of Mahiru, and Nagito… well, no one knew what Nagito was doing today. And Kazuichi didn't really care, as long as he wasn't plotting anything or interfering with his own plans for the day.

Once Kazuichi had eaten enough to be fully satisfied for the time being, he stood up, took his dishes over to the sink and headed outside of the hotel and on his way to the bridge leading to the third island. He didn't know how long it'd take for Fuyuhiko to finish his breakfast, and he wasn't interested in hanging around the restaurant waiting on him.

Shortly afterwards, Hajime and the three girls accompanying him approached the bridge themselves - Ibuki and Hiyoko were leading the way, skipping along the path with wide grins on their faces, while Hajime and Chiaki trailed behind, chatting quietly.

"Hey hey, Kazuichi!" Ibuki shouted as the quartet approached him. "You waiting for someone? Or maybe you're after another fanservice segment, hmm-hmm?" She winked teasingly at him and stifled a giggle.

Kazuichi couldn't help the blush that spread across his cheeks as the mental image of Sonia in her swimsuit invaded his mind. "N-not at all!" he replied. "I'm just waiting for Fuyuhiko, is all!"

"Oh! So it's a friendly hangout! Ibuki understands!" She turned and smiled at Kazuichi. "Ibuki hopes you have fun today!"

"So do I," Chiaki piped up.

"Yeah, me too," Hajime added.

"Two lame-os hanging out together, huh?" Hiyoko scoffed. "I bet that's because you're so cringey that no one would ever wanna hang out with you! That ugly baby-faced Yakuza would obviously be incredibly stupid to hang out with such a nobody!"

Kazuichi swallowed. Hajime sighed and shook his head. "Don't take anything she says too seriously, alright? She's still a little shaken up about what happened recently."

Hiyoko giggled. "Wow, you sure get triggered easily!" she crowed. "You haven't really changed much, huh? You're still the same pathetic wimp as always! No wonder that coward pities you-"

"Hiyoko, please stop," Chiaki interrupted in a calm, yet firm, voice. "Let's leave Kazuichi alone and go to our destination, okay?"

The Ultimate Traditional Dancer nodded. "Okie-dokie!" She turned to Ibuki and linked their hands together. "Let's go!"

"Toodles!" Ibuki called as she and Hiyoko began to skip away. Hajime and Chiaki smiled and waved goodbye to Kazuichi, who returned the favour.

Once the quartet crossed the bridge, Kazuichi sighed. Fuyuhiko was taking quite awhile to meet up with him. He began to worry that he was being stood up. That maybe Hiyoko was right, and Kazuichi had no hope of ever being friends with Fuyuhiko after all. Maybe, even after all that had happened between them, it wasn't enough to truly make it into Fuyuhiko's good books…

"Hey, are we gonna go or what?"

Kazuichi jumped at the sudden vocalisation beside him. It appeared that Fuyuhiko had decided to meet him here after all. But even then…

"Seriously, are ya gonna show me around or are you just gonna stand there like a total ditz?" Fuyuhiko snapped.

"Okay, okay, we'll go!" Kazuichi huffed, annoyed due to being pulled out of his thoughts so forcefully. "Geez, it took you long enough to get here!"

"You eat your food too quickly," Fuyuhiko pointed out.

"And apparently you take eons to eat yours," Kazuichi retorted.

The Yakuza heir groaned as he turned towards the bridge. "C'mon, let's just go. I don't plan on standing around trading petty insults with you all day."

"Right behind ya," Kazuichi replied, and together the two of them began to walk along the bridge. The mechanic inhaled, and sighed a moment later. Now, he figured, would be a good time for him to push aside his insecurities and just enjoy himself, as much as he could. He was sure everyone else would be having a good time today as well, and so he didn't want to be left out. Hajime was right - Hiyoko's words were, in most cases, not to be taken personally, And yet, they still stung - moreso than usual, in fact. He figured it was due to his excitement of today's events.

His overall mood improved for the meantime as the third island gradually came into view. The somewhat darker sky, bright lights, rows of buildings and the overall urban atmosphere never ceased to amaze him. He'd always dreamed of living in Tokyo, and he hoped he could move there once he graduated high school. On the other hand, the overall mood of the island appeared to be somewhat dreary and foreboding, to the point where it felt less like a resort and more akin to the setting of a horror movie. The buildings were all dated and run-down, and, as with the other islands they'd encountered thus far, there was nobody else around.

"So, where to first?" Fuyuhiko inquired.

"Hmm. I think the movie theatre would be a good place to start," Kazuichi replied.

"A movie theatre? Huh, that's unexpected."

Kazuichi chuckled a little. "I wonder if we could watch a movie there together one day. Something like… I dunno. You into superhero movies at all?"

"Tch. Not really. The Yakuza-based action movies are kickass in my book. Y'know, stuff like _Sonatine_ , _Street Mobster,_ _Cops Vs._ _Thugs_ …"

 _He probably grew up with_ _stuff like that, huh?_ Kazuichi mused.

By that time, the two of them had successfully crossed the bridge and arrived at the third island. It took less than a minute for them to locate and arrive at the island's movie theatre.

"Huh," Fuyuhiko commented, as he examined the small building before him. "Not too shabby, on the outside at least."

"I'm not sure why everything's still in okay condition after being abandoned for who knows how long," Kazuichi observed. "Not that I'm complaining, of course."

"Either it hasn't actually been abandoned that long or those fuckin' stuffed animals have been maintaining it," Fuyuhiko responded.

"Yeah, that makes sense."

They stepped forward towards the entrance of the cinema, opened the door, and walked inside.

They were greeted by the sensation of cool air within the cinema lobby - it seemed that an air conditioner had been switched on. The lobby itself was large and spacious, with a bright red tint that covered the walls and floor. Across from the two students was a small counter, which of course had no one manning it, yet still boasted snacks and, oddly enough, a tote bag. There were neon signs around the room, giving the cinema a rather '90s-esque feel to it. The entire design of the place, Kazuichi noticed, was a little dated for its time; on the other hand, it was a nice change from the designs of the movie theatres he'd been to back home.

"So this is just where you watch movies, huh?" said Fuyuhiko.

"Seems so," Kazuichi replied. "I mean, would a cinema fulfill any other purpose?"

"Well, there is a movie in session right now if you'd like to watch it!" a voice suddenly called out.

The two boys jumped as Monokuma unexpectedly bounded into their field of vision.

Fuyuhiko growled and crossed his arms, unamused. "It'd better be a good one, you little shit," he snarled.

"Why, of course!" said Monokuma excitedly. "My game was a stinker, that I'll admit, but I worked super-hard on this movie and it's so much better! Would you gents like to watch it?" The monochrome bear plushie grinned as he held out two invitation tickets.

The two boys looked at each other.

"Well, I guess it can't be that bad, right?" Fuyuhiko thought aloud.

"But what if it's a horror movie?"

"Oh fuck off, that's some good shit right there. Well, some of those kinds of movies are utter crap, but hey, not all of them are worthless piles of shit!"

"Th-that's not what I meant…"

"Ugh, seriously? Don't be such a wimp, it's only shit on a screen."

"It's not like I can help it!"

"It's probably not gonna be a horror movie, okay? So how about you stop getting your panties in a twist and try it out?"

Kazuichi sighed in defeat. He turned to Monokuma, and said, "Fine then. Let's see what this movie's made out of."

* * *

"What the hell!? How can you be scared of that shit when it's so godawfully animated?"

"I dunno, how can you look at a bloody corpse with a straight face?"

They had just departed from the cinema, bickering once again - although it seemed that if there was one thing they could agree on, it was that the movie's quality was far beyond their expectations. If anything, Kazuichi thought it had to be the worst movie he'd ever seen - and the scenes of Monokuma murdering the Monomis in his path was the least of its problems.

"Well, that was a shit start," Fuyuhiko grumbled as he tucked his arms behind his head. "I kinda figured the movie theatre would be useless. What else does this island have in store?"

"Well, it has a music venue," Kazuichi pointed out.

"Huh. Ya willing to bet Ibuki's claimed it as her new home by now?" Fuyuhiko joked with a knowing smirk.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Kazuichi replied with a grin.

It was a very short walk from the cinema to the music venue, and upon their arrival, Fuyuhiko raised an eyebrow at the gigantic neon sign at the top of the building.

"'Titty Typhoon?'" he read in disbelief. "That's seriously what the place is called?"

Kazuichi chuckled. "Well, there's nothing wrong with titties themselves, so…"

"Wow, is it just me or is everyone on this damn island dirty-minded to some degree?"

"Well, what were you thinking just now?"

"How pathetic it'd be if people just thought about fuckin' boobs every time someone mentions this place by name."

"Hey, I resemble that remark!"

"Tch. Y'know you shouldn't get laid until you've at least fully emotionally matured and shit, right?"

"Says who?" Kazuichi retorted. "I'll have you know that I plan to bed Miss Sonia as soon as possible!"

Fuyuhiko narrowed his eyes. "This fixation on sexual shit is something I'll never understand," he muttered.

They headed towards the entrance of Titty Typhoon; however they stopped as their ears detected the faint sound of an electric guitar riff.

"Huh, she's in there already?" said Fuyuhiko, though he was clearly unsurprised by this development.

"Right, yeah, she's holding some kind of memorial for Mahiru with Hajime, Hiyoko and Chiaki," Kazuichi informed his companion. "I think it's supposed to be more of a private thing. We can look inside… some other time."

"Right, right." With that said, they silently moved away from the music venue.

Kazuichi suddenly wondered if Fuyuhiko knew anything about the party that had been planned for tonight. Ibuki hadn't mentioned anything about it being a surprise, or even whether or not Fuyuhiko was expected to turn up at all (though he imagined he would be, one way or another). Much as he yearned to discuss the matter with Fuyuhiko, he decided to play it safe and keep quiet about it, just in case.

"Hey, what's the deal with that building over there?" Fuyuhiko asked, pointing towards a long, rectangular-shaped building up ahead.

"Oh, that's a motel," Kazuichi replied.

"Hm. Well, that's no use for us at any rate; we've already got our cottages. Anything else worth checking out, or are we done here?"

"Well, there's no point in showing you the hospital since you've been holed up in there for a couple days, so…"

"Yeah, I'd rather not go back there if I can help it. But it's great to see we even have a hospital at all."

"Well, there's just one more place I wanna show you…" Kazuichi grinned broadly as his eyes lit up in excitement.

"Let me guess, it's something to do with tech or machinery," Fuyuhiko muttered as they headed off towards their new destination. "Or, God forbid, sexual shit. You'd better not be showing me some fuckin' weird Sonia robot you built."

Kazuichi paused and turned towards Fuyuhiko, the gleam in his eyes brighter than before. There was now a notable shade of crimson on his cheeks to accompany his already excited expression.

"Dude," he said, his voice trembling with joy and excitement, "you have just given me the best idea ever!"

"H-hey, don't even think about-!" Fuyuhiko cried out; Kazuichi hadn't even listened to the entirety of what he'd said, for he was already sprinting towards Electric Avenue, heart racing in sheer euphoria and motivation. He barely even noticed Fuyuhiko racing after him, shouting obscenities out of frustration.

When he'd arrived at the small town, he made a beeline for the computer store and triumphantly held up one of the laptops he'd fixed.

"This will be the source of Miss Sonia's AI!" he declared. "I wish I were a better programmer so that I can refine it to suit my tastes, but-"

"What the fuck!?" Fuyuhiko spluttered as he caught up to him. "That's creepy as shit! Do you really think Sonia will actually be okay with this!?"

Kazuichi shrugged. "Why wouldn't she? It's only my way of showing appreciation for her!"

"No, you just wanna get into her pants, that's all it is." Fuyuhiko clucked in disapproval.

"What are you, my dad? Am I not allowed to be with the girl of my dreams because she's a princess and I'm a commoner?"

"That's not the issue at all!"

"Either way, I now have a new dream to fulfill!" Kazuichi proclaimed with a smile. "'Operation Gynoid Miss Sonia!'"

"I seriously doubt she'll be okay with this," Fuyuhiko grumbled.

Kazuichi chuckled. It seemed that this trip had turned out well after all. He didn't know about Fuyuhiko, but Kazuichi had a lot of fun. He had come to the conclusion that he wanted to hang out with Fuyuhiko more often and get to know more about him. He hoped that Fuyuhiko would be okay with that happening.

After showing him around Electric Avenue and pointing out all of the wonderful technology to be found there, Kazuichi took Fuyuhiko back to the main island, where they bade each other farewell and headed their separate ways. For the rest of that day, Kazuichi found himself in a good mood. He was finally, finally gaining a close friend he could know and trust - and that was all he'd ever wanted.


	5. Chapter 5: The Party of Understandings

_So because of my mistake a couple of chapters ago, the recovery party depicted here will differ from the party depicted in the game in a few ways. This may or may not happen with other future events in the story as well. Nonetheless, please enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Party of Understandings**

"So, how would you rate this trip? Did you end up enjoying any of the stuff I showed you?"

"Let's see… the movie was shit, we couldn't even get into the music venue - though I bet that's shit too - the motel was boring, and the Electric Avenue or whatever was shit. But I think the worst thing about this trip would have to be your idea of a gynoid Sonia."

"Hey!"

Fuyuhiko smirked in amusement. "Remember that thing about seeing if I would find the whole island shit after I actually took a look at it?" he asked. "Hope ya got some Monocoins on hand."

"W-we never agreed on actually betting on it!" Kazuichi cried out.

"It's the Yakuza way of doing shit. Deal with it."

"I don't even have any Monocoins on me! Hiyoko stole them off me a couple days ago!"

"Right, right. When you get 5 Monocoins, they're all going to me. Understood?"

"Y-yeah!"

Somehow, this way of teasing Kazuichi was quickly coming naturally to Fuyuhiko. It was much the same way he and Natsumi would interact on a regular basis, as siblings. He privately smiled at the memories of his lost sister and everything she'd gotten up to with him. There was no way Kazuichi would serve as her replacement - he and Natsumi were practically chalk and cheese. And yet… Fuyuhiko found himself quickly taking quite a liking to this boy. Kazuichi was a very entertaining person to be around, obsession with Sonia aside.

The two of them had returned to the main island and were presently at the beach, merely standing there and talking to one another. What Fuyuhiko had said about the trip itself was true - all of the sights to see on the third island were about as pitifully uninteresting as he'd expected. The only clue they'd found that could lead to their escape from Jabberwock Island was a document on one of the laptops in Electric Avenue, detailing an odd story about a group of high school students engaging in the destruction of the world. Kazuichi had apparently already discovered this and showed it to Hajime previously. Either way, Fuyuhiko figured that a bunch of teenagers causing the apocalypse was too nonsensical to believe, and Kazuichi seemed to agree.

"Well, I'll seeya 'round, then," Fuyuhiko told Kazuichi, as he began to head off to the hotel. "Thanks for showing me around."

"No problem, bro!" Kazuichi replied with a smile. "Later!"

Only a couple of hours had passed since the third island tour, and as a result it was now approaching close to noon. There was still plenty of time in the day to eat away, and Fuyuhiko had to admit, he was quite tired from walking around all day. Furthermore, he didn't have much else to do right now, especially since everyone else had gone off to do their own thing.

And so, as he entered his cottage and removed his shoes, he decided it would be best to treat himself to some fried dough cookies and a good book.

* * *

"Hey, hey! Wait up!" Fuyuhiko heard someone call out to him just as he was about to leave the restaurant. The evening had arrived before he knew it, and it was now dinnertime. He'd finally managed to eat all of his, thankful that there were no dairy products in the meal.

He stopped in his tracks and turned to see Ibuki running up to him. "What do you want?" he asked her, slightly annoyed.

"Sorry for the short notice, but Ibuki wanted to tell you that there's a party on tonight!" she announced.

"A party?" Fuyuhiko repeated. "Is it another protection party or some shit? What's the occasion?"

Ibuki raised an eyebrow in confusion. "That's a good question! But it's a pity that Ibuki doesn't know the answer! Ah well, who cares? Parties are always great, because then Ibuki can have fun and sing songs! Especially when it's at the Titty Typhoon!"

"It's at… the music venue this time?"

"Yup! Ibuki is so excited to use the stage there! It's so cool!"

"Okay, so what time are we all expected to be there?"

"The party starts at a quarter past nine tonight!"

"Huh. That's… an odd time for a party to start. I thought it'd be nine o'clock, or nine-thirty, or some shit like that."

"We're gonna stay up all night to celebrate the wonders of our youth!" Ibuki cried, ignoring Fuyuhiko's remark about the time. "Doesn't that sound great? Huh, huh?"

"I guess," Fuyuhiko muttered.

"So you're gonna come, right?" she asked, her voice trembling with excitement. "Ibuki really, really wants to see you there! Everyone on the island must come!"

Fuyuhiko sighed as he remembered how he'd skipped the previous party thrown on the island - the one Byakuya had thrown for… reasons nobody seemed to know. Though, if Fuyuhiko had to wager a guess on those reasons, it was that Byakuya wanted to help strengthen the bonds between all of the students and thus prevent anyone from dying. Look how well that turned out, Fuyuhiko thought bitterly. He briefly wondered if Byakuya's death would still have occurred if he'd attended the party after all.

In any case, Fuyuhiko had distanced from the others because somehow he knew that the bodies were going to pile up. He didn't want to get close to anyone, only for the cruel killing game to punish him by snatching them away from him-

Not that it stopped Peko from dying. So why was he gravitating towards Kazuichi? Was he lonely? Perhaps. Was that a cause for concern? Perhaps not. He decided not to engage in the thought of Kazuichi dying for the moment, and instead composed himself in order to reply to Ibuki, who was waiting expectantly for a response.

"Fine, I'll come," he ground out. "But it'd better be worth it."

"Dawsome!" Ibuki exclaimed, bouncing on the spot enthusiastically. "That's what you get when you put "dazzling" and "awesome" together! Isn't that such a cool word!?"

"I suppose," Fuyuhiko muttered. He'd only been talking to Ibuki for a couple of minutes and her shouting was already giving him a headache. He kind of hoped she'd learn to shut up at some point.

The Ultimate Musician laughed loudly with an impossibly large grin on her face. "Alright, toodles!" she called as she ran off to her cottage. "I'll see you there!"

Fuyuhiko shrugged as he watched her take off. So a party was occurring? It was an annoyingly last-minute invitation for him to come, but at least he was informed at all. Did everyone assume he wasn't going to be interested at all? Not like he could blame them, considering he didn't show up at Byakuya's party, but still. At any rate, he was going to make an effort to attend this time around, for the sake of getting closer to his classmates. He wondered if Hiyoko had forgiven him by now. He figured the party would be as good a time as any to find out.

* * *

He had to admit, the music venue didn't look that bad on the outside when the sky was dark and the neon lights were brighter. Said lights were fortunately not bad enough to blind his remaining eye, but they still dazzled well enough to give the building an appealing flare. It almost felt like going to a nightclub - not that he'd ever done so; however Natsumi had managed to sneak to one before. She'd remarked to him that it was probably "too sleazy" for his tastes, and he'd chuckled good-naturedly and thanked her for the insight.

Fuyuhiko growled as unshed tears stung his eyes. Now was not the time to dwell on Natsumi. It was time to move past that. It was time to find some new friends, new companions. And going to the damn party would be a great start.

After ensuring there were no tears in his working eye and that it hadn't puffed up as a result, he opened up the door to the music venue.

It was dark at first - so dark that for a moment Fuyuhiko thought someone had staged a murder inside - but after a moment, the overhead stage lights flickered on, revealing none other than Ibuki, whose choice of clothing had to be even more attention-grabbing than her usual garb.

"SUUUUUUPRIIIIIIISE!" she bellowed into the microphone, holding her arms up in front of her, revealing that she was making peace signs with both of her hands. Just as she screamed that word, the rest of the lights came on as well, showcasing everyone else standing in two lines in front of the stage, where they'd turned towards each other and outstretched their arms in a welcoming gesture.

Fuyuhiko covered his ears, startled by the loud noise and the, well, surprise. What was this? Was this party… for him?

"We just wanted to congratulate you on your recovery, Fuyu!" Ibuki called out to him through the microphone in front of her. "So this party's for you! Don't waste the limited time we have, just live and love!"

This was loud enough for Fuyuhiko to be able to hear even with his ears covered. He straightened himself and slowly dropped his hands from the side of his head.

"Well, I had to admit, I didn't see this coming," he said.

"Awesome!" Ibuki squealed. "Ibuki succeeded in surprising somebody! Yay!"

A few of the other students laughed at that.

"Why don't you come in and join us, Fuyuhiko?" Sonia spoke up as the laughter died down. "This is your party, after all!"

"Yeah!" Nekomaru chimed in. "The only way we can all have fun is if you join in!"

Fuyuhiko hesitated. He was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed. He really hadn't expected everyone to go out of their way to throw a party for him. Was Kazuichi the brains behind this? No, he doubted it; as far as he knew Kazuichi barely had any brains at all. Furthermore, Ibuki's placement on this stage gave away the mastermind behind all of this anyway.

"I… fine," he muttered. "B-but only because I have to!"

"I'm impressed, Fuyuhiko,' Nagito commented with a vacant smile. "It seems that you've found hope again! I'm so glad to see that the hope within your heart has returned."

Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes. He supposed that this was Nagito's way of saying that he was glad he felt better, but still, couldn't he-

"The curse has been lifted, I see! Well done! Do accept my words of relief, for they will protect you from other such dark, troublesome curses!"

-just say it like a normal person?

He really didn't understand why his classmates were so eccentric.

He stepped further into the building and briefly surveyed everyone in front of him. They were all smiling at him - all but Hiyoko, who was clearly scowling - and generally looked pleased to see that he had returned to them safely. It almost felt as though the previous class trial had never even happened.

Almost.

"Alright, everyone, it's time for the party to begin!" Ibuki announced. "Ibuki will be providing this evening's music! She hopes you will all enjoy it and dance to your heart's content! She aims to make everyone smile and forget about their troubles! Now! Put your hands together for… "From Me To You"!"

The lights then dimmed, and only the stage was illuminated, focusing the spotlight on Ibuki and her electric guitar. She smiled sweetly at her audience, and began to play her song.

Considering the song title, as well as Ibuki's exuberant personality, Fuyuhiko had expected a sugary-sweet love song that idol singers often sung, much to the delight of their male fans. But alas, he should've known to judge a book by its cover this time around, for Ibuki's song of choice easily mirrored her fashion sense. The guitar riffs she strummed were deep and menacing, and she growled animalistically into the microphone.

He glanced around the room at the rest of his classmates. Kazuichi and Mikan both looked rather spooked, as they were trembling quite noticeably. Kazuichi had pulled his beanie down over his eyes, and Mikan appeared to be crying a little. Hajime and Nagito were looking at each other as though wondering what the hell was up with the noise assaulting their ears. Nekomaru was growling quietly, his fists clenched in a defensive stance. Chiaki and Sonia were looking around the room in a daze. Even Gundam and his Four Dark Devas of Destruction seemed quite troubled, for the Ultimate Breeder had his eyes narrowed in disgust while his hamsters shuddered and hid inside his scarf. And Akane… come to think of it, where was Akane? She seemed to have completely disappeared somehow. What had happened to her? Fuyuhiko could only hope that she wasn't staging a murder.

The only one who seemed to be enjoying Ibuki's… song was Hiyoko, who was dancing along and giggling with glee. Fuyuhiko couldn't even muster up the energy to be surprised at her taste in music.

Once the song was over, the lights came back on, and everyone's horror became very apparent.

Kazuichi screamed. Mikan sobbed. Gundam desperately tried to console his Devas. Nagito scowled and said something about the song being filled with despair.

Of course, Hiyoko's reaction was not the same as all the others.

"Yay!" she cheered, as she happily threw her hands up in the air. "That was a great song! I haven't heard anything so good in ages!"

"Y-you actually like that!?" Kazuichi retorted. "But you're probably… c-cursed! I think we all are!"

"Don't be ridiculous, you loser," said Hiyoko, narrowing her eyes. "It's just a song. Not that I don't want you to be cursed or anything!"

"Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutuuuuuuup!" Kazuichi cried in distress.

Fuyuhiko couldn't help but smirk in amusement. Kazuichi turned to him, eyes concealed by the rim of his beanie once more.

"Oi, Fuyuhiko! At least help me out, or somethin'!" he pleaded.

"Here's some advice for ya, Kazuichi: Man up and stand up for yourself."

"THAT'S NOT HELPFUL AT ALL!"

Man, was Kazuichi a handful. At least he wasn't alone with him this time.

Chiaki, who was smiling softly at them all, turned towards Hiyoko. "Hey, Hiyoko, it's a surprise to see you here," she remarked. She paused for a moment, before speaking again. "So if you've decided to attend this party, then that means you've forgiven Fuyuhiko, right?"

Fuyuhiko froze. He hadn't really thought about that. Why did Hiyoko come to the party tonight? Was it just because everyone else was going and she felt some kind of obligation? Or had she changed her tune and decided to forgive him? Furthermore, where was Akane? One moment she was right here in the music venue with everyone; the next she'd vanished without a trace. Had she decided not to forgive him partway through the party?

He felt his stomach churn rather unpleasantly, especially considering it had been sliced up for practically nothing. Somehow, it felt awful to think about the possibility of anyone bearing a grudge against him for the remainder of the school trip. In fact, he felt almost certain that if another murder was going to occur, he was going to be the next victim. But that wouldn't be so bad, right?

He deserved it, right?

"There's no way I'm forgiving him that easily!" Hiyoko huffed, as she folded her arms and poured. "Have you guys forgotten that he's a yakuza? Those kinds of folks trick people all the time! He could even be faking his apologies and regrets so that he can make us trust him and thus become easy prey!"

"I-I don't think that's the case…" said Mikan, glancing down at the floor and wringing her hands nervously.

"Nah, I can see why she'd think that of me," Fuyuhiko muttered quietly before Hiyoko could tear Mikan down. Hiyoko was right - the Yakuza, as a collective, were successful mostly due to how effortlessly they were able to deceive people, to use people in order to reach their goals. Fuyuhiko had seen several cases of such manipulation being practised among his clan, and in some cases, even his own parents. Many people had lost their lives as a result of being tricked by the Yakuza. It was not a pretty situation.

If he wanted to, he probably could take advantage of everyone's trust in him and use it to either kill one student skilfully enough to get away with it, or kill all of his classmates at once - both for the sake of escaping the island as soon as possible. But he wasn't like that, he realised, as he surveyed all of the students surrounding him. Much as he hated to admit it, he was really starting to enjoy the company of all of his classmates. He'd had quite a lot of fun with Kazuichi earlier today, And maybe he could get along with the others - such as the easygoing Hajime, or the kind Chiaki, or the enthusiastic Nekomaru. He couldn't help but wonder how well he'd gotten along with everyone back at Hope's Peak Academy, before their memories were erased, before Monokuma turned everything upside-down…

He just wouldn't bring himself to kill any of them. He couldn't bring himself to kill any of them. Hiyoko was horribly mistaken. And he knew that once he returned home, the Kuzuryuu Clan were likely going to be deeply disappointed in him for being such a softie.

"Yeah, that's right," Hiyoko spoke in response to his previous statement, snapping him out of his reverie. "That's why we're never going to believe in you. Got it? This doesn't mean we've made up or anything. We're only cooperating with you until we get off this island. But remember, if anything happens… you'll be the first to get cut off."

Fuyuhiko didn't know how to take this response. This had to be one of the last things he'd expected Hiyoko to ever say to him. Had she decided to forgive him after all, or at least make an effort to see the good in him? Should he be happy? He supposed he should, he figured, as Mikan smiled tearfully at him.

"I'm sorry," he finally said. No frills, no formalities. Just two words that, in most cases were enough to succeed in receiving forgiveness. He hoped that it would be enough.

By then, Mikan was sobbing again, except this time she was crying out of happiness rather than fear. "I'm glad…" she squeaked. "I'm really, really glad…"

"Ew, don't cry!" Hiyoko shouted, disgusted. "Pigs have no right to cry! You're grossing me out!"

This, of course, only caused Mikan to cry even more.

Fuyuhiko suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to find Kazuichi grinning broadly at him. "Congrats," he said. "I think all that trouble's pretty much over now. I'm not sure if I've already said this to ya, but… I forgive you too, Fuyuhiko."

"Hey, it was obvious enough already," Fuyuhiko muttered. "No need to say it now."

Kazuichi chuckled and left to try talking to Sonia - whom, Fuyuhiko noticed, didn't look very pleased with his presence. He sighed. When was Kazuichi going to take the hint?

"Hey, Ibuki!" Hiyoko cried, seemingly reverting back to a happy mood - or, at least, the happiest mood Hiyoko could be in. "Can we have the next song now?"

"Roger!" Ibuki replied from the stage. "Thanks for waiting! Let's go right ahead to the next song!"

"...huh? There's still more?" Nagito commented, frowning.

"Now that this recovery party's in full swing," said Ibuki enthusiastically, ignoring Nagito, "I've got a ballad prepared that totally fits the mood… Grab a partner and slow dance to… "I Squeezed Out the Baby But I Have No Idea Who the Father Is"."

 _What the hell is that title!?_ Fuyuhiko thought, as Kazuichi screamed in horror once again. And can that wimp please just shut the fuck up for once?

Ibuki smiled sweetly at her audience once more, held her guitar close to her, and-

"H-hey! What's everyone doing here!?"

Monomi had suddenly appeared in the middle of the room. She was sweating, as though she had been running for hours, although given her and Monokuma's tendency to appear right out of the blue, Fuyuhiko doubted she'd ran all this way.

"Whoa, Monomi!?" Hajime exclaimed in surprise.

"Heeey, don't interfere!" Hiyoko cried, looking disappointed. "Aw, and I was enjoying such a fun party, too!"

Monomi gasped, and she began to tear up. "I wasn't invited to the party…" she whined.

Hiyoko laughed. "Obviously not! You'd ruin the party for sure!"

Monomi gasped again, now looking even more depressed than before. However, she quickly regained her composure… well, kind of.

"But seriously, now's not the time!" she cried, now with a panicked expression. "Now's not the time to enjoy a fun party!"

"Wh-why?" said Hajime, who looked afraid to ask. Fuyuhiko swallowed. He had a bad feeling...

"A-Akane is…" She took a deep breath and tried again. "Akane is duelling Monokuma!"


	6. Chapter 6: The Cutoff

**Chapter 6: The Cutoff**

Kazuichi's awakening the next morning was particularly uneasy - mostly due to the fact that he'd barely slept a wink, in the end. His mouth was dry, and his limbs felt stiff, as though he'd been permanently trapped in REM sleep mode. When the monitor in his room flickered on and Monokuma's morning announcement played, he'd hidden his face beneath his pillow and groaned.

His suspicions had been confirmed - something terrible had, indeed, gone out of its way to ruin the party for them. Was this a result of Ibuki's song? He hoped not.

In any case, the group had retreated to the main island, and Monomi's words had been confirmed - Akane and Monokuma were indeed duelling, and Monokuma was winning by a landslide despite Akane's skilled combat. Monokuma was about to go for the final blow when Nekomaru intercepted the attack and taken the brunt of the damage - it was amazing how such a burly guy like him managed to get scratched up so badly by a mere stuffed bear. Fortunately, Nekomaru was now being treated at the hospital, and so all the students could do was hope for his safe, prompt recovery.

He was about to close his eyes again at last, hoping to just remain in his cottage for the rest of the trip, when a loud knock sounded at his door. He groaned again. What did they want from him? It was best that everyone just left him alone and-

"Goddamnit, you lazy-ass, open up!"

Oh. It was Fuyuhiko, wasn't it?

"Come on, we're gonna miss breakfast if you don't hurry the hell up!"

"Piss off," Kazuichi croaked hoarsely.

"Ugh, do I really need to break the door down and drag you outta there?"

"No need," Kazuichi said as loudly as he could. "Just leave me alone."

There was a silence at the other end of the door. It was short-lived, however, as a loud chink sounded, and the door burst open. Did Fuyuhiko seriously just break the lock on his door?

The Ultimate Yakuza picked up Kazuichi's jumpsuit, lying carelessly on the floor, and tossed it at him. "Get outta bed and get dressed, you're comin' to breakfast with me," he informed him.

"...huh?"

"Do I really need to repeat myself? You. Me. Breakfast. Now." He paused. "Or have you changed your mind about forgiving me?"

"N-not at all!" Kazuichi cried. He groaned as he finally sat up, placing a hand on his forehead. "Urgh, it's just… I've barely slept, 'n I've been thinking too much about what happened last night-"

"He'll be fine," Fuyuhiko snapped impatiently. "If I can survive a blow to the eye and an attempt of seppuku, then I'm sure he can survive a near-fatal blow to the torso."

"...good point."

Kazuichi clamoured out of bed and slid himself into his jumpsuit, zipping it up once he'd placed his arms and legs into their sleeves. He took his beanie from his nightstand and placed it over his mop of bright pink hair. Once dressed, he and Fuyuhiko placed their shoes back on their feet and departed from Kazuichi's cottage, making their way to the hotel.

"So… yeah," Fuyuhiko spoke up as they walked.

"Hm?" Kazuichi turned toward his direction, curious about what he had to say.

"I just wanted to thank you. For… forgiving me. Even after that whole clusterfuck."

Kazuichi grinned. "It's not a problem! That's what friends do, isn't it? And you wanted to be my friend, didn't you?"

"Don't spout sappy shit like that," Fuyuhiko growled, turning away. Kazuichi simply laughed good-naturedly.

"So what did you think of the party?" he asked. "Ibuki organised almost everything all by herself. She was pretty keen to make everyone happy."

"Oh, I bet she was," Fuyuhiko remarked sarcastically, as he recalled the death metal she'd played that night. "But, yeah, the party was alright. I s'pose I'll thank her when we get to the restaurant."

"Awesome." Kazuichi smiled to show his approval.

Soon enough, they had arrived at the hotel, and walked inside. There was Chiaki, playing her video games as usual, and- Kazuichi's breath caught in his throat as he saw Sonia standing by the entrance to the restaurant. He barely caught Fuyuhiko's exasperated groan as he stared at the beautiful princess that occupied his field of vision.

"Good morning, you two." Sonia waved to them with a small smile on her face.

"'Sup?" Fuyuhiko responded casually. Kazuichi, meanwhile, found himself unable to speak - it felt as though someone had stuffed cotton wool down his throat.

"I can only hope that today will be better than yesterday and that Nekomaru will return to us safely," Sonia confessed with a sigh.

"Way I see it, we're lucky no one actually died back there," said Fuyuhiko. "I'm surprised that damn bear agreed to help fix up Nekomaru at all."

"Oh yes, that surprised me as well!" Sonia exclaimed. "But it was a pleasant surprise, of course - I'd be really upset if anyone else died."

"Can't blame ya," Fuyuhiko responded. "Pretty sure we'd all be, unless there's some sort of nutcase among us or some shit."

Kazuichi recalled what Monokuma had said on one of their first nights on the island - that there was a traitor among them. Someone in their midst was working with whoever placed them all on this island - this killing game - and sought to have them all kill each other. The lovestruck stare he was aiming at Sonia slowly turned into one of fear, as the possibility that she was the traitor occurred to him. Even Fuyuhiko could be betraying them…

"Well, anyway, let us all enjoy our breakfast, yes?" Sonia requested.

"Yeah, sure," Fuyuhiko replied, and he turned towards Kazuichi. "You gonna eat with me?"

Kazuichi chuckled nervously, all frightening thoughts about traitors and psychos quickly fleeing from his mind. Fuyuhiko wanted to eat with him now? It had been ages since he'd gotten to sit beside someone and eat with them as good friends. "Of course!"

By the time they'd entered the restaurant, Kazuichi almost instantly got the feeling that something was not quite right. The most obvious cause of this gut feeling of his was the sound of someone loudly sobbing - and his eyes widened in surprise when he found that it was Akane who was crying uncontrollably. He figured that she'd be hit hard by what had happened the previous night, but it still seemed… out of character for her to openly cry in front of all of her classmates. What had happened to the confident, headstrong Akane Owari he knew?

"Good morning, sirs and madame." A voice had stolen his attention away from the peculiar display of Akane wallowing in her sorrows. "Please have a seat and enjoy the food that has been served for you. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"N-no thanks, we're fine."

Did that voice really come from Ibuki Mioda of all people? It seemed so, though Kazuichi was convinced that the Ibuki in front of him - hands tucked in front of her as she bowed with a small smile on her face - was some kind of illusion or doppelgänger. Nonetheless, her odd behaviour was almost as unnerving as the death metal she's played the previous night.

Kazuichi glanced at Fuyuhiko, who shrugged with a look of confusion on his face - it appeared that he didn't know what was going on either. He figured that perhaps Ibuki was just messing with them; after all, she was essentially the class clown here. Maybe she'd simply decided to pretend to be all weird and polite for the day. By the next day she'd revert back to her usual bubbly, easygoing personality, right?

He shrugged and took a seat, and Fuyuhiko occupied the chair beside him. He pulled a plate towards him and filled it with food - soba, soy beans and rice. He wondered if Hiyoko would approve of his choice of breakfast. He couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment when he realised that Sonia had decided not to sit with them, but rather with Chiaki, Hiyoko and Gundam.

"Hm, this bagel tastes disgusting!" a voice expressed in distaste.

Kazuichi cringed. He hadn't even realised that he'd inadvertently sat beside Nagito. Ever since the first trial, he'd made an effort to avoid him however possible, as he'd proven himself to be a rather dangerous and unpredictable individual. Yet, Hajime made an effort to spend a decent amount of time with him, just as he did with everyone else...

Kazuichi blinked as he processed what exactly Nagito had said. He remembered Hajime telling him once that bagels were Nagito's favourite food. And indeed, a bagel would always be part of Nagito's breakfast every morning, and he'd consume it with a rather odd look of happiness that eerily contrasted with the lifeless smiles he plastered on his face. Against his better judgement, he stole a glance at Nagito, and sure enough, he was sitting beside him, bagel in hand - and a look of disgust on his face.

 _What is this, Opposite Day?_ Kazuichi thought.

"Aren't ya gonna eat that?" he inquired to Nagito. "I thought you loved bagels."

Nagito laughed quietly. "Where did you get that idea from? Bagels are the most hope-inducing food you could ever eat!"

"Isn't that the point though…? I thought you loved hope and all that shit."

"Not at all!" Nagito's eyes were swirling with intensity, and Kazuichi prayed that his classmate would spare him from whatever insane thoughts he felt the need to share. Regrettably, his prayers were not answered.

"Hey, did you know that we're in an alternate reality? All of this has already happened to us before, and we will re-live everything that happens in the future… except for one thing! And we will find ourselves in a future of hope… and it will be especially hopeful for you and Fuyuhiko, because there is one thing that changes and-"

"Can you stop speaking idiot already?" Fuyuhiko snapped, glaring over at Nagito. "You're acting even weirder than usual."

"That's what worries me," Kazuichi muttered. He glanced around the restaurant at all of its occupants - Akane still bawling her eyes out, Ibuki saluting to Hajime, who had a palm pressed to her forehead, and Nagito, who was presently staring at the ceiling in a daze. Everyone else seemed to have remained themselves, thankfully. Gundam was loudly babbling about occult nonsense to Hiyoko, Chiaki and Sonia. Hiyoko was sneering at him in disbelief. Chiaki was listening intently with a small smile on her face. Sonia was listening earnestly and even asking questions about the stories he was telling. Jealous as he was of Gundam, Kazuichi couldn't help but feel relieved that he and the girls sitting with them had retained their personalities. The thought of Gundam actually acting like a normal human being, or Hiyoko turning into another Mikan, unnerved him somewhat.

He then looked towards Hajime and Mikan, who were pressing their hands on Akane, Ibuki and Nagito's foreheads with expressions of concern on their faces. Nothing was out of the ordinary with them, either.

"Hey." He turned towards Fuyuhiko, placing an elbow on the table in the process. "D'you have any clue what's going on here?"

"Hell if I know," Fuyuhiko muttered. "Must be some weird-ass ways to get over what's been happenin' lately."

"Not quite!"

Everyone groaned as Monokuma cheerfully bounced into the room. Kazuichi's heart sank. Did he have anything to do with this?

He listened closely as Monokuma proceeded to explain their new motive - the Despair Disease. Three students - Akane, Ibuki and Nagito - had caught the disease, which essentially gave them a fever. Additionally, the disease had accursed each of them with a specific symptom. So as a result, Akane was now crying over everything, Ibuki was extremely gullible, and Nagito told nothing but outrageous lies. But that wasn't all - the disease increased the chances of those affected committing some kind of murder. And to top it all off, it was contagious.

It was only when Nagito had suddenly collapsed during a rant on how great it was to have the disease that the restaurant was buzzing with pandemonium, and everyone rushed to the hospital, with Kazuichi and Hajime struggling to tow the unconscious Nagito along, and Ibuki and Akane mindlessly following the panicked group.

* * *

Kazuichi sighed in relief as they finally entered the hospital, all of them still in one piece - well, Nagito's condition was still rather worrying, as he was now foaming intensely at the mouth and his skin was somehow much paler than usual. However, if he had to be blunt, it would probably be better if Nagito died anyway. He was the one who'd put a start to the killings in the first place, and he had no regrets about it. Things would be a lot easier on them all if Nagito were out of the picture entirely.

Once they'd all gathered in the hospital lobby, Mikan announced that she was going to take the diseased students to the wards and get them fitted into their hospital gowns. She instructed the remaining students to stay put in the meantime, as she led those with the Despair Disease into the hallway.

Kazuichi couldn't believe this was happening. That was four students out of action now - Nekomaru, Akane, Ibuki and Nagito. He glanced around at his companions in the lobby, and his heart sank as he realised that only 6 of them - not counting himself and Mikan - remained. They all looked troubled, one way or another, and Kazuichi wondered if they were thinking the same thoughts as him - that even after their unity at Fuyuhiko's recovery party, the injuries and illnesses of some of them left behind more cracks in their unity than ever before.

He swallowed. It was time to try and think about something else. Something better. Like Sonia in her one-piece swimsuit, perhaps- no, there were more important things to worry about, he reminded himself, as he stared down the hallway where Mikan and her patients had disappeared. Where Mikan was stripping them of their everyday attire and putting hospital gowns on them. Including Nagito, the only boy…

"H-hey, isn't it a bit… weird that Mikan is changing a guy's clothes?" he wondered aloud.

"Of course not, idiot, she's a nurse," Fuyuhiko irritably pointed out. "Nurses often have to get boys changed, just as male doctors often have to get girls changed."

"B-but that's so… impure!"

"Oh really, so now it's sexual and impure for doctors and nurses to do their fuckin' jobs," Fuyuhiko snapped sarcastically. "Honestly, I think it'd do you good to stop being Teruteru 2.0 and seeing sexual shit in everything."

"Can you stop squabbling like two brain-dead buffoons under sexual tension and focus on the important stuff?" Hiyoko sighed. "We need to figure out what to do from here on out!"

"But what can we do?" Hajime asked her. "Monokuma said there's no cure…"

"God, are you stupid?" Hiyoko huffed impatiently. "If you can't cure it, you stop it from spreading! Haven't you learned that in preschool?"

"But how can we stop it from spreading?" Sonia asked.

"Easy! We quarantine the sick ones! And Mikan will have to stay too, of course, since she's been touching them all over!"

Hajime appeared to be rather stricken about the idea. Kazuichi had to admit that he understood Hajime's concerns; however, containing the sick students here at the hospital and leaving Mikan to oversee them seemed like the best idea. He could only hope that, as time passed, the motive would fail and the disease would be lifted without any bloodshed.

Hajime looked even more troubled as Sonia, Kazuichi and Chiaki expressed their approval of Hiyoko's idea, and Chiaki put Kazuichi's thoughts into words well enough - if it could prevent another murder, then it would have to do.

Fuyuhiko, meanwhile, was staring silently at the floor as the discussion went on, as though he wanted to say something but couldn't find the heart to say it. Kazuichi cautiously approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay, bro?" he asked as Fuyuhiko looked up at him. "Got something you wanna say?"

Fuyuhiko swallowed as he turned his gaze towards Hiyoko. "At the party last night… you said… that if something like this happens, I'll be the first one to get cut off, right?"

Hiyoko nodded, her mouth set in a thin line.

"So in that case, I'll stay here as well," he declared, now with a little more confidence in his tone. "Hajime and I will stay here and help Mikan look after those who're sick."

"Right." Hiyoko nodded. "As for everyone else, we're staying at the motel on this island. That way we can keep close by to these guys without catching their icky cooties!" She giggled devilishly.

"Care to inform us how we must keep in contact with each other?" Gundam inquired.

Hiyoko set her sights on Kazuichi at that moment. "I'm sure Kazuichi can work out some kind of communication system - right?"

Kazuichi nodded. "It'll be done by tonight," he promised.

"It looks like the matter is settled, then," Chiaki spoke up.

"Wait." Fuyuhiko's voice wavered slightly in concern, though Kazuichi couldn't tell if he was the only one who'd noticed this. "Are you sure we wanna do this? This could be a trap… the mastermind behind all this shit is probably setting something up and separating us so that it can work."

"It's the best we can do, Fuyuhiko," Chiaki told him quietly. "If the Despair Disease really is contagious, then soon enough we'd all catch it and not be in our right minds to get anything done." She smiled at him. "But I'm sure we've got this. And Kazuichi said he will be setting up a communication system as soon as possible. We can all do this together… I think."

Kazuichi sure hoped so.

* * *

After the intense discussion had concluded, Kazuichi, Sonia, Gundam, Hiyoko and Chiaki collectively headed off to the motel. There were only five of them, and the motel had at least seven or eight rooms, so they were each able to acquire a room of their own, much to Kazuichi's relief; he worked best when no one else was bothering him.

The large collection of scrap metal, tools and other such things he had were back in his cottage, and he didn't want to run the risk of catching the Despair Disease by returning to the main island, assuming the fever was airborne. Fortunately, he was able to get together an array of tools from Electric Avenue and take them back to the motel with him. He only had 5 minutes to work on his project before Gundam from the room next door stormed in and exploded in a confusing tirade about the loud noises scaring his hamsters. Sonia had walked in shortly afterwards to see what the commotion was about, and she did not look pleased.

So here Kazuichi was, sitting in the middle of Electric Avenue, working away at the students' communication system. He'd managed to find a suitable monitor along with the workings of mobile communication and surveillance, and so, he was going to construct a communication system with the best video and audio feedback he could work with.

He thought about those back at the hospital as he worked, and wondered how they were doing. Were Akane, Ibuki and Nagito ever going to be cured? Chiaki at least was confident that they would; she'd proposed that those staying at the motel would search the islands for clues regarding a cure. He could only help that they would fine one before one of them snapped and killed someone.

He shuddered as he found himself desperately hoping that Fuyuhiko - his only friend - was not going to get killed in there.


	7. Chapter 7: The Boy in the Mirror

**Chapter 7: The Boy in the Mirror**

"So it's just us now, huh?"

Fuyuhiko shifted slightly, absently pushing his hands into his pockets. "Mikan's here too, y'know," he reminded Hajime. "And all the sick ones, of course."

"I know," Hajime countered. "I just mean right now, not… I was trying to strike up a conversation."

"Hmph. Is that so?" Fuyuhiko cocked his head in mock-curiosity.

"I mean, it's gonna be a pretty boring couple of days cooped up in here," Hajime continued. "But hey, at least I've got you and Mikan for company. And Akane, Ibuki and Nagito… even if they're gonna be acting weird."

"Only reason I'm here is to atone for my sins and shit," said Fuyuhiko. "Only thing I can do after all the crap I've done."

Hajime nodded solemnly. "I noticed you've been hanging around Kazuichi lately," he admitted. "Have you two sorted out your differences or something?"

Fuyuhiko shrugged. "I did learn he's a lot more annoying than I thought," he responded.

"So he's not a very good friend, then?" Hajime quipped.

"...I never said that. Asshole."

Hajime chuckled good-naturedly. "You are friends with him now though, right…?" he pressed on. "From an outsider's point of view at least, you two seem pretty close."

Fuyuhiko narrowed his eyes in thought, staring down at the carpet that blanketed the floor of the hospital foyer.

"Much as I hate to admit it, Hajime… yeah, I guess he is my friend."

* * *

When Fuyuhiko said that he didn't want to have to go to the hospital again, he'd meant it. He'd only been there with Hajime, Mikan and those affected with the Despair Disease for a couple of hours - the sun had set not too long ago - but the sights of the plain, foreboding walls with health and safety posters pinned onto them and the intense smell of Phenol was almost driving him to insanity. He could at least thank his lucky stars that he wasn't the patient this time around, but even so, he'd rather be at the motel with Hiyoko, Sonia, Kazuichi, Gundam and Chiaki.

 _I have to endure this,_ he reminded himself, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. _If this is what I have to do to earn forgiveness, so be it._

He stood in front of the mirror above the faucet by the entrance of the hospital, gazing at his own reflection, who stared back at him with the equal amount of scrutiny, disgust and shame. He was sorely tempted to slam his fist through the plane of glass that showed him the worthless, cowardly Yakuza kid he really didn't want to see, but he'd managed to restrain himself, not wanting Mikan to be fussing over his injuries again.

"Loser," he spat, glaring at his reflection in distaste. "Loner. A coward who pretends to be tough." He choked out a bitter laugh. "A mean delinquent. In the mirror, you're…"

He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so weak. So powerless. So guilty for the chaos he'd caused. But what he didn't understand was how he could beat up rival gangsters with no hesitation, yet he'd now seen four people on this very island meet their end, with one of them being his bodyguard.

Could it be…?

Fuyuhiko cursed under his breath as he felt tears sting his eyes. Could he even go a single day without feeling that dreaded sensation of salty liquid in his eyes? More importantly, why did Peko mean so much to him? He was fairly sure that he knew the answer, but it was too much for him to accept and acknowledge. And it didn't matter now anyway, now that she was gone.

With a growl, he straightened himself and roughly rubbed at his good eye. Hajime or Mikan could walk in any moment now and see him at his weakest. It was bad enough that Kazuichi had seen it; he didn't want anyone else to think he was little more than an over-dependant crybaby. In any case, he decided, he needed to go and quickly check on the patients again - Hajime and Mikan had been resting, and he could only assume that they still were.

Just as he was about to make his way towards the wards, however, he heard the automatic doors at the hospital entrance slide open, and he froze as he caught sight of who had just entered. Speak of the devil. Face-to-face with Kazuichi, who was clutching a large, heavy cardboard box to his chest as he cheerfully walked towards the foyer, Fuyuhiko hoped he wouldn't notice anything off about him.

"How's it goin'?" Kazuichi greeted with a grin as he placed the box on the floor beside the reception desk.

"Could be better," Fuyuhiko grunted. "So your little mechanical thing's done already, huh? It'd better be useful."

"'Course!" Kazuichi was about to unbox his creation when he paused, staring at Fuyuhiko in concern. "You okay, dude? Your good eye looks a little red."

"I'm fine," Fuyuhiko dismissed. "Think it just got a little swollen, is all."

Kazuichi frowned, as though he could see straight past the lie Fuyuhiko had created. The Ultimate Yakuza cursed under his breath, unimpressed with his inability to effectively lie.

"Shouldn't you see Mikan about that?" Kazuichi persisted. "It's bad enough that you lost one of your eyes… you don't wanna lose both of 'em, do ya?"

"Pretty sure she's resting," Fuyuhiko countered. "I'm supposed to go check on the patients soon, so you'd better hurry it up."

"No need to stick around for me, bro," said Kazuichi. "Go check on 'em. I'll just be right here setting up my communications system."

Fuyuhiko hesitated. "I checked on 'em about ten minutes ago. I guess I could leave 'em be for now."

"Right." Kazuichi nodded as he knelt beside the box and ripped off the tape that sealed it shut. He peered inside before extracting the box's contents - a pink monitor, as well as a surveillance camera. He then placed them both on top of the reception desk and began the process of setting things up.

"So we've got one of each of these - the accompanying monitor, surveillance camera and surveillance system - over at the motel as well," Kazuichi explained as he worked. "Using nearby satellites - which, believe it or not, are still in working order around here - the cameras will send data to each other and display them on the-"

"I don't follow," Fuyuhiko interrupted. "Cut the crap and talk to me as though I'm not a fuckin' tech guru."

"Sorry, sorry," Kazuichi laughed half-heartedly. "Basically, you'll be able to see what the other camera picks up - which should be me, or someone else over at the Titty Typhoon."

"The music venue? Why not the motel?" Fuyuhiko inquired.

"Yeah, about that… the system was originally only for household use, so I extended it for beyond a single building - but when I was testing it earlier, I found that it would not work from the hospital to the motel. The closest place to the motel that would work connected to a system at the hospital is the Titty Typhoon."

"So we can't just contact each other around the clock or whatever?" Fuyuhiko groaned. "That's fucked."

"Which is why we'll need to figure out specific times to contact each other every day," Kazuichi pointed out. "I'm thinking at least twice per day, once in the morning and then once in the evening - how does that sound?"

"Sounds good," Fuyuhiko replied. "What time?"

"How about 30 minutes after the morning Monokuma announcement, and 30 minutes after the evening one?"

"That'll do."

Kazuichi looked up with a glint in his eye. "I think it's ready!" He stepped away from the reception desk and proudly admired his handiwork. The monitor was now sitting purposefully at the right end of the counter. The camera that accompanied it stood beside it. "Whaddaya think?"

"It looks kinda stupid," Fuyuhiko remarked. "But as long as it does what it's supposed to do…"

"It should be fine," Kazuichi reassured him. "Say, how about we do a test run, like… half an hour from now? Just to make sure everything's working like it should? Hopefully I can talk to Hajime too."

"Okay, but can you tell me how to work this thing?"

"'Course! It's pretty simple. I'll call you on the times we arranged, and during those times, a blue light should be flashing on both the monitor and the camera. That means you have an incoming call. To answer it, all you gotta do is press this middle button-" he gestured to the button in question on the monitor "-right below the screen."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Anytime!" Kazuichi smiled at him. "You guys hang in there, okay? I hope this damn disease gets cured soon…"

"Yeah, me too. So I'll see you later, then?"

"Yeah." Kazuichi headed back towards the entrance of the hospital, waving behind him as he went. "Talk to you later, Fuyuhiko. You and Hajime both."

The automatic doors slid open once again, and Kazuichi walked out into the darkness of the night. The doors slowly closed again, and he was gone.

Fuyuhiko, deciding to dwell upon the workings of the communication system later on, turned towards the foyer and travelled down the dark hallways where the wards rested. He stopped at one of the open doorways and peeked inside.

Laying down in the hospital bed at the end of the room was Ibuki, her back resting against the bedpost, staring into space. Annoying as she was when she was bouncing around and shouting excitedly as though she were a young grade-schooler, Fuyuhiko couldn't help but find it incredibly unnerving when she was in this vacant state. He wasn't sure which Ibuki he preferred - the cheerful, hyperactive Ibuki, or the still, complacent Ibuki that sat before him now. He had a feeling he would rather see the former, though.

"Good evening, sir," Ibuki spoke up as she swiftly turned her head towards him. "I appreciate your willingness to check on my wellbeing. How may I help you this fine evening?"

"...just go to sleep," Fuyuhiko replied. "It's late."

"Yes, sir," Ibuki affirmed with a nod. "I just need to lie down with my head on the pillow and close my eyes, right?"

"'Course."

With no objections raised, Ibuki did just that. Fuyuhiko noted to himself that he should check on her again later in order to ensure she really had gone to sleep - but right now, he needed to check on the other two patients.

Conveniently, Akane's ward was directly beside Ibuki's. As he peered into the room, Fuyuhiko saw that Akane was already asleep. Worryingly enough, she was whimpering quietly as her chest rose and fell in an otherwise relaxed manner. He remained by the doorway for a few minutes, ensuring she didn't do anything too drastic in her sleep, before he moved on to Nagito's ward.

As luck would have it, Nagito's ward happened to be the same one Fuyuhiko had been contained in, as a result of both the loss of his eye and his attempt at seppuku. As a result of both this and Nagito being the most troublesome of the three patients, Despair Disease or not, Fuyuhiko had intended to remain in this ward for the shortest time possible.

He was relieved, at first, to find Nagito lying in bed, completely silent and barely moving an inch. However, it quickly occurred to him that something was terribly wrong.

Fuyuhiko was at Nagito's bedside in an instant, gripping his hand tightly as he (annoyingly enough) stood on his tiptoes in order to take a good look at the sickly luckster. It didn't take him long to register what the problem was. Nagito, unlike Akane in her own unconsciousness, was still as a statue. His eyes were closed, but his face had lost all traces of colour - not a terribly impressive feat for someone who was already this pale. Everything about Nagito's body was frozen. Fuyuhiko couldn't even hear him breathe.

"Fuck this…" he choked out as he snapped his gaze towards one of the monitors present in the ward. "Fuck it, fuck it all! I can't… this is…!"

His legs trembled unsteadily, and he tightly gripped the rails of Nagito's hospital bed in order to keep himself upright. His heart was pounding incessantly, filling the Ultimate Yakuza with hopelessness and dread.

He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. _Cool it, Fuyuhiko,_ he told himself as he straightened his posture. _We can sort this shit out. It'll be fine._

His top priority for the moment, he knew, was to go to the on-call room and let Hajime and Mikan know what was happening. Mikan was the Ultimate Nurse - as long as it wasn't too late… she should be able to save Nagito, right?

Right?

Fuyuhiko dashed down to the on-call room as fast as his legs could carry him, hoping that Ibuki and Akane wouldn't be disturbed - he didn't need either of them out of bed and asking questions right now. He just needed help. Nagito needed help...

As soon as he'd arrived at his destination, he saw that Hajime and Mikan had already awakened and were now sitting on the floor beside each other. He couldn't help but notice the lack of colour in Hajime's face, as well as the spikes in his hair sticking straight up. Mikan had her hands gripped tightly against Hajime's shoulders and a relieved smile on her face. At first glance, it appeared as though Mikan was about to strangle Hajime to death, but on closer inspection, that didn't seem to be the case.

"Um… may I ask what's going on here?" he tentatively inquired. What was happening? Why did everything seem so hopeless all of a sudden? He hoped the others weren't trying to kill each other back at the motel...

"F-Fuyuhiko!?" Hajime's eyes widened in shock as he bolted upwards as swiftly as a gunshot. "Don't take this the wrong way, please, it's not what it looks like…"

Fuyuhiko narrowed his eyes, unamused, as he carefully examined the two students before him and the position they were currently in. He was now able to see the pores of sweat that trickled down Mikan's body, and the subtle flush of Hajime's cheeks.

"Were you guys sleeping together?" he asked accusingly. Without waiting for a response, he glared at Hajime in disgust. "Y-you dirty bastard! You two're fuckin' high school students!"

Hajime sighed in exasperation. "Seriously, you've got that all wrong-"

"Enough about that," Fuyuhiko interrupted. "I came to tell you guys some urgent news. Nagito… he's in danger…!"

"Danger…?" Hajime echoed in disbelief.

"Damn right he is!" Fuyuhiko affirmed, barely managing to keep his voice steady. "When I peeked inside his room earlier, it looked like he wasn't even breathing!"

"Huh!?" Upon hearing the news, Mikan instantly snapped to her senses, her eyes burning with intensity. "We need to go see him right away!"

The three of them immediately dashed into Nagito's ward without hesitation.


	8. Chapter 8: The Strongest

_Just a quick note on the frequency of updates on this fic - I don't keep a schedule, as I'm a writer who only writes when they feel like it and has the mental energy to produce quality content. While chapter updates may be infrequent, I can assure you that I'm not going to let this fic die._

 _With that said, here's chapter 8 of Screams and Sighs. Enjoy._

* * *

 **Chapter 8: The Strongest**

"So she said she's not coming out until the Despair Disease is cured… right?" Kazuichi solemnly inquired as Sonia placed a plate of rice, vegetables and meat in front of him.

"That's what I heard from her, yeah," Chiaki confirmed.

"But did she say why?" Kazuichi persisted.

"No, but I can guess."

"Mahiru, right?"

Chiaki wistfully smiled at that. "Not only that."

Kazuichi slowly tore apart his chopsticks and used them to nervously pick at his rice. The moment the five of them - himself, Sonia, Gundam, Chiaki and Hiyoko - had set foot in the motel, Hiyoko had hurried off to the room she'd been assigned, shouted something behind her about never coming out, and slammed the door behind her, locking it before anyone could protest. That had occurred that morning - but from what Kazuichi understood, she hadn't left her room once ever since. She refused to even go to Titty Typhoon with them and participate in the first video call they had with Hajime and Fuyuhiko.

Fuyuhiko...

He had to admit, it was annoying how much of Fuyuhiko he could see in Hiyoko. He'd noticed the surface traits a long time ago - how the two of them were both short for their age and looked as though they hadn't even aged a day past third grade (though Fuyuhiko certainly sounded like a high-schooler) - but he was now being exposed to a lot more than that.

They'd both lost someone they held dear in the last class trial. They were both bitter on the outside, but a lot nicer once you got to know them. Or was that merely a result of the trauma they'd each experienced? Kazuichi couldn't tell, but he knew that Fuyuhiko at least was being a little friendlier towards everyone now. Somehow, he'd even managed to see Kazuichi as a close friend. That was an achievement Kazuichi took pride in.

Then his mind drifted back to Hiyoko, and he wondered if it would've been possible for him to befriend her instead of Fuyuhiko. Probably not, he concluded, considering he happened to be one of her favourite targets of her childish bullying. Fuyuhiko had been rather standoffish and unkind to him in the past, sure, but at least he never had the audacity to outright say that Kazuichi was akin to a chewed wad of gum stuck under his shoe.

Was it too late to try to get into Hiyoko's good books? It seemed likely, especially considering she was presently refusing to even leave her room or talk to anyone. But Kazuichi supposed it was worth a try.

As he ate his dinner in silence, he caught sight of a plate of food resting on top of the counter behind the dining table. Was that Hiyoko's dinner?

Kazuichi placed his chopsticks down and looked up at Sonia, using her chopsticks like a professional despite not having been raised in Japan, raising a slice of meat to her mouth and chewing it daintily. Given the circumstances, she appeared surprisingly content, her eyes shining with hope as she ate. Just looking at her reminded Kazuichi of everything he loved and admired about her - but now was not the time to be distracted by her beauty, much as he'd like to be consumed in it.

"Miss Sonia," he spoke. "May I ask you something?"

Sonia, about to make use of her chopsticks again, paused and trained her eyes on Kazuichi. "Yes?"

"Well… is it okay if I try to deliver Hiyoko's dinner to her?"

"Hmm." Sonia closed her eyes thoughtfully. "I was about to fulfil that duty myself, after finishing my own meal. But you may try if you wish. I am not sure if she will even open up, however… but if you must know which room is hers, it is the second one on the left-hand side."

"It's worth a shot," Kazuichi agreed as he stood up, walked over to the counter and collected Hiyoko's dinner. "I'll be back in a minute or two."

"Good luck," Chiaki said with a smile.

Kazuichi nodded and, without further ado, he walked down to the hallway where the motel rooms resided. He stood in front of the room Sonia claimed belonged to Hiyoko, gulping as he pictured her sitting in there in all her lonesome. What was she thinking, right at this moment? Was she mourning Mahiru? Thinking about the latest class trial? Or perhaps she was plotting some kind of murder… he wouldn't be terribly surprised if Fuyuhiko got killed within the next few days and they'd exposed Hiyoko as the culprit during the class trial that followed.

With this thought now plaguing his sense of rationality, he felt the searing urge to just walk away and not have to deal with Hiyoko at all. He didn't know what exactly she was doing, nor her motives at present, and all of a sudden he would rather not find out for himself.

Then he remembered her bond with Mahiru, and how she would cling to her and plead for her attention, unofficially adopting her as her older sister. He recalled her thinly-veiled sadness upon learning that Mahiru was dead, and her very apparent displeasure at the accusations of being responsible for her best friend's death. He then recalled Fuyuhiko, indirectly the true culprit alongside Peko, his childhood friend - his only friend. Kazuichi had failed to miss the puffy, red eye Fuyuhiko bore by the time he'd reached the hospital to set up the communication system. It was obvious that Fuyuhiko had been crying just before he'd arrived - just as he had on the day Kazuichi visited him in the hospital, pouring his heart out to the only person who had the time and patience to listen to him.

After everything that had happened - from Fuyuhiko's tearful breakdown back in the trial room and intervention in Peko's execution, to his drastic, bloodied apology in the restaurant - Hiyoko had to have realised by now that Fuyuhiko - and everyone else, aside from the traitor - was a victim in this game, just like she was. It was just as Kazuichi had thought to himself earlier. Fuyuhiko, too, was grieving over the loss of someone close to him. He had a lot of weight to carry on his small, weathered shoulders, and Kazuichi could already see the changes in him becoming more apparent as the days dragged on. Fuyuhiko didn't have Peko to rely on anymore - and now, he was trying to compensate by becoming friends with others, Kazuichi included. So would Hiyoko be able to do likewise?

Realising that he was taking longer than he should and that Sonia could be fretting over him, Kazuichi hastily raised his fist, clutching tightly to the plate of food with his other hand, and loudly rapped on the door.

For a moment, nothing happened. He didn't hear a sound from the other side of the door, and it didn't budge an inch. Was Hiyoko asleep? It seemed likely - the evening's Monokuma Announcement was due to sound soon, and Kazuichi was dying to dive into bed and sleep the night away to make up for his minimal sleep the previous night.

He was about to knock again when, slowly, the door creaked open, and Hiyoko's head hesitantly poked out. Her eyes - gold, Kazuichi noticed; a similar shade to Fuyuhiko's - narrowed in annoyance upon seeing him, but even then, the foul-mouthed girl remained silent.

"H-hey, Hiyoko," he spoke up, having figured that he was going to have to do the talking. "I brought you your dinner, Miss Sonia made it for all of-"

"I know," Hiyoko interrupted quietly, her voice dull and lifeless as though she were reading a boring text aloud to a Japanese class. She opened the door an inch wider, snatched the food from Kazuichi's hands, and slammed the door behind her, locking herself back into isolation.

Kazuichi could only stand frozen in place as he desperately tried to process what had just happened.

* * *

"Right!" Sonia stood with her hands on her hips and a stern, authoritarian expression on her face. "Chiaki and I are going to remain at the library in order to undertake our research on the cure for the Despair Disease. Kazuichi, Gundam, you are to roam this island together and search for any clues."

"Wh-what!?" Kazuichi exclaimed, shooting an intense glare towards Gundam, who had taken to standing as far away from him as possible. "I have to work with that freak!?"

"Silence!" Sonia ordered before Gundam could object as well. "You will return to the library in an hour's time and present to us anything you find that may help us find a cure. Understood?"

"Yes, she-cat," Gundam responded in an instant, though Kazuichi failed to miss the bewilderment present in his eyes.

"G-got it, Miss Sonia!" Kazuichi echoed.

"Wonderful!" Sonia beamed. "I shall see you both in an hour's time!"

"Goodbye for now," Chiaki piped up as she waved.

Following Kazuichi's confrontation with Hiyoko, the day ended without much fanfare, and everyone at the motel ate their meals before turning in for the night immediately after. Once the sun had risen and they'd woken up, they'd eaten their breakfast - Sonia was the one who'd delivered Hiyoko's meal to her this time around - and Kazuichi, Sonia, Chiaki and Gundam had all set out towards Titty Typhoon to talk with Fuyuhiko, Hajime and Mikan back at the hospital.

It was very easy to deduce the outcome of Nagito's condition due to the lack of body discovery announcements, but it was still a pleasant relief for the four of them to hear that Nagito's health had improved and that he was no longer in critical condition. He still wasn't free from the Despair Disease, however, and neither were Ibuki or Akane. So once the call had drawn to a close, the students at Titty Typhoon decided to spend the day on the second island in the hopes of finding a cure.

Kazuichi groaned in frustration as he trudged behind Gundam, who was already walking away from the library. The last thing he wanted to do was spend the day alone with a deluded animal breeder who aimed to steal Sonia from his very nose - though he supposed it would've been worse if said Ultimate Breeder spent the day with Sonia instead. Still, there were better ways this day could've gone.

It then occurred to him that he had no idea where Gundam was even taking them.

"H-hey, hamster boy, mind tellin' me where we're going?"

"Silence, mortal," Gundam sharply replied without stopping or slowing his steps. "The gods of wisdom are speaking to me. Allow them to assist me in this quest for the curse's antidote."

"Seriously? Can't you at least pass this information on to me!?" Kazuichi protested.

" _Silence!_ " Gundam repeated, louder this time, but otherwise remaining engaged in walking to… wherever he was going. "Do you have a death wish, mortal? If my mama were to deplete as a result of your worthless questions, the universe as we know it shall be enveloped in a curse greater than that a few of our companions bear!"

"Geez, okay, fine…" Kazuichi groaned. It was no surprise to him that out of everyone on Jabberwock Island, Gundam had to be the most aggravating to converse with.

Despite this, as Gundam had asked of him, the two of them continued on in silence. It didn't take long at all for the pharmacy to come into view, and Kazuichi was immediately reminded of Mikan and how she might be faring back at the hospital. He could only imagine how difficult it must be to oversee three patients inflicted with the Despair Disease.

As Gundam silently walked towards the large double doors of the pharmacy, everything suddenly made sense. Pharmacies stocked medicines for a wide variety of illnesses and symptoms, so there had to be a cure for the Despair Disease in this one - right?

"We have arrived," Gundam announced as the sliding doors granted them entry. "We can only hope that the antidote will be located here."

"Obviously," Kazuichi muttered.

Together, they scanned the items on the shelves, skimming over the labels printed upon the boxes of pills and the bottles of liquid. What Kazuichi realised, however, was that many of the medicines specialised in simple, mundane symptoms of illness that he was certain everyone would've experienced at least a few times during their lifetime, such as coughing, headaches, stomachaches, runny noses and sore throats. He was quickly finding it highly unlikely that there would be a specific type of medicine designed to cure - or at least alleviate - the Despair Disease.

"I must wonder if this curse has ever clawed into any beings outside of this realm," Gundam thought aloud.

Kazuichi looked up from the box of ibuprofen he was investigating. "Excuse me?"

Gundam turned sharply towards him, icily staring him down. "Have you ever heard of this so-called "Despair Disease" prior to awakening in this realm?" he inquired.

"Come to think of it… I don't think so," Kazuichi replied. "Your point?"

Gundam narrowed his eyes in thought. "Perhaps this curse is too complex for a mere antidote to banish it," he theorised. "Perhaps we are required to defeat the monstrous being that has imposed this curse upon our companions."

Kazuichi shuddered at this notion. "Y-you think we should fight Monokuma!?" he spluttered in disbelief. "Are you insane? Did you see what he did to Nekomaru!?"

He failed to miss the quiet chuckle of the boy beside him. "The muscular one did not know what he was dealing with," he pointed out. "Nor did his gluttonous companion, whose strength is simply laughable compared to his."

Something momentarily flashed within his eyes - pride? Determination? Kazuichi couldn't quite tell.

"Not even their strength combined is worthy of attention from this sinful bear," Gundam continued. "There is only one other being in this realm with the powerful abilities to defeat him."

"Yeah?" Kazuichi challenged, clenching his fists in determination. "And who's that?"

Gundam laughed again, louder this time, and Kazuichi immediately regretted asking. "It is I, the Dark Lord Tanaka, who will defeat the enemy and banish this unforgiving curse!" As these words were spoken, his four hamsters crawled out from his scarf and positioned themselves on their owner's arms and shoulders, chittering enthusiastically.

"You're kidding me," Kazuichi groaned. "D'you have a death wish or somethin'?"

Gundam folded his arms, glaring intensely at Kazuichi. "Do you dare underestimate my strength, you lowly human?"

"Shut up," Kazuichi grumbled. "Let's just keep looking for the cure or whatever. Just… whatever you do, don't do anything stupid."

Gundam paused for a moment, and his hamsters stiffened a little. They looked up at their caretaker, seemingly confused. He eventually sighed in resignation. "Fine," he stated firmly. "Let us continue our quest, Kazuichi Souda."

They did so in silence, much to Kazuichi's relief. He could not stand another minute listening to Gundam ramble on about being better than everyone else. The reality was, he was just as powerless against Monokuma than everyone else. It was a grim reality that Kazuichi had forced himself to accept.

But that didn't mean that he liked being a weakling.


	9. Chapter 9: The Double Down

_The next chapter concludes the first arc of this fanfiction - the arc where Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi grow close to one another, and gradually become good friends. After this arc ends, the romance will finally begin to kick in..._

 _Thank you so much to everyone who is keeping up with this story and patiently waiting for the romance to begin. It won't be long now, don't worry! I hope you enjoy this chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter 9: The Double Down**

"So you searched for a cure for this fuckin' disease today?" Fuyuhiko inquired. He leaned a little closer to the monitor in interest. "Any luck?"

All four of the students at the music venue shook their heads. "The library had no information on it at all," Sonia lamented.

"Nor did the pharmacy," Kazuichi added. "Seriously, that damn hamster boy and I even went to the prescription desk to see if there was anythin' there, but nope - absolutely nothin'."

"You're kidding me," Hajime groaned beside Fuyuhiko. To his left, Mikan had her hands clasped together, frowning in concern.

"It's quite a shame indeed," said Chiaki. "But remember that we were only able to cover two different locations today. We still have a lot of places to look for something that can help our friends, and as long as everyone's covered, we should have a lot of time to do so."

"A-and if you don't find a cure…?" Mikan fretted.

"Then we'll all work together to bring our friends back to good health," Chiaki replied with a smile.

"...have you forgotten the part about the disease being contagious?" Fuyuhiko objected. "If the one person who actually knows what she's doin' catches the disease, we're screwed."

"You do have a point." Chiaki thoughtfully placed a finger to her chin. "Mikan, I know you've been working very hard to help the patients and ensure their survival, but please, don't overwork yourself. You need your rest, and the last thing we need is for you to be out of action completely."

"Y-yes, I'll do my best!" Mikan assured her. "I'll try not to be with them so much… i-it's just that I'm so worried that s-something will happen to them while I'm s-sleeping!"

"I understand," said Chiaki. "But I'm sure they'll be fine. Hajime and Fuyuhiko are with you too, and I'm sure they'd wake you up if something goes wrong."

"Y-yes, that's true…" Mikan agreed, shakily smiling over at Hajime and Fuyuhiko. "We'll all be okay, after all of this… r-right?"

"I'm sure everything will be fine," said Hajime, as he placed a hand on Mikan's trembling shoulder. "As long as we work together, and keep an eye out for each other, we'll be okay."

 _That's what Byakuya said, and look what happened to him,_ Fuyuhiko thought as he clenched his teeth. _No, I shouldn't think like that… we need to do it right this time. We need to make sure… that the rest of us make it outta here alive…_

"Y-yeah…" Kazuichi concurred half-heartedly, nervously scratching the back of his head. "Well, that's all we needed to say tonight. Aside from our lack of developments in the cure thing, nothing else is new, I s'pose."

"So Hiyoko's keeping to her word about staying in her room until it's all sorted out?" Hajime asked, with an edge of disappointment in his voice.

"It would appear so," said Gundam. "She only opens her door to allow the she-cat to deliver her meals, but that is all."

Sonia nodded solemnly to confirm this. "It is unfortunate that she locks herself away like this," she declared. "But we can only hope that this will all end very soon."

* * *

It didn't end very soon at all.

Days trudged past, and there were still no new developments. In all of the following video calls, the students staying at the motel had turned up blank in regards to a possible cure for the Despair Disease. As for the diseased students themselves, the only thing that had changed about their condition was that Nagito would occasionally slip into critical condition, and Fuyuhiko had to alert Mikan as soon as possible whenever he'd notice him foam at the mouth or stop breathing.

It was boring at the hospital, and knowing that he could eventually catch the Despair Disease set Fuyuhiko on edge. He'd spent as much of his shifts as possible with the patients without getting into close proximity with them or making contact with them, but communicating with them was proving to be a major headache for him. He was rapidly getting sick of Akane blubbering tearfully about how awful she felt, Ibuki saluting to him every five seconds and asking him if she could do anything for him, and Nagito babbling oddities about how fantastic he felt (though Fuyuhiko knew for a fact that he was actually feeling awful), alternate timelines and how he and Kazuichi would make a good romantic couple.

As the sun shone brightly, innocently through his cottage window one morning, Fuyuhiko groaned and turned to his side, blearily rubbing his good eye. It was annoying how Monokuma had forbidden him and Hajime to remain at the hospital overnight, though he supposed this was also a blessing in disguise - at this point, he couldn't stand the place.

He cursed quietly under his breath, not looking forward to another day of monotony and hopelessness, as he climbed out of bed and dressed himself into a fresh, clean, Yakuza-styled suit and tie. After treating his hair to a quick round with the comb, he headed out towards the hospital on the second island.

There was no rush to get there, as Mikan stayed there overnight with the patients, and she would probably be waking up by now. And even so, there was a chance that Hajime had reached the hospital before him. Still, Fuyuhiko figured that it would be ideal if he showed up as soon as possible.

The hospital was quiet by the time he'd arrived. The foyer was vacant, and the only sound he could hear was the low whirring of the air conditioner. Mikan and Hajime would typically be in the foyer, waiting for Fuyuhiko to arrive, if Mikan was awake and Hajime had reached the hospital first. But this time around, it seemed that Mikan was still asleep, and Hajime had not yet arrived.

 _All the better to get straight to work,_ Fuyuhiko figured, immediately setting off toward the wards.

As always, he decided to check Ibuki's ward first, simply because it was the closest to the foyer. He poked his head inside, fully-expecting an unusually-still Ibuki, perhaps sound asleep - but his heart plummeted to the depths of his stomach as his good eye processed the image before him.

The hospital bed where Ibuki had been resting for the past few days was empty, the covers haphazardly drawn back as though Ibuki had gotten out of bed without even bothering to make it again.

Alarmed, Fuyuhiko made a beeline to Akane's ward next door. He was relieved to see that she was still present in her bed, and still asleep, it seemed. He couldn't help but feel concern and fear for what he might find in Nagito's ward, however - if there was anyone who could be responsible for Ibuki's disappearance, it had to be him, one way or another.

But Nagito was sitting upwards in his bed with a smile that seemed less authentic than ever somehow, staring blankly in front of him. Upon Fuyuhiko's entrance, he turned towards him, that smile quickly fading.

"Hello there, Fuyuhiko," he said. "Have you spoken to your dear Kazuichi about-"

"Cut the crap," Fuyuhiko interrupted. "Ibuki's missin'. Have you seen her anywhere?"

He immediately regretted asking this question the instant it escaped from his lips. Nagito had the Liar Disease, so whatever his answer was, it wasn't going to be truthful at all. _Guess I have to think backwards or some shit,_ Fuyuhiko figured.

"I know where she is!" Nagito replied. "She's in her ward, like always!"

"So you don't know," said Fuyuhiko. "Right. Well, thanks anyway. Don't do anythin' stupid while I go out to look for her, okay?"

"I will!"

Fuyuhiko grunted in response as he hurried out to the on-call room, hoping that Mikan would be resting there. He needed to get to her as soon as possible - he needed someone to watch over Akane and Nagito while he looked for Ibuki. If Ibuki could simply wander off like she had, there was a good chance that Akane and Nagito could too.

But the on-call room, he'd found, was empty. He bit his lip in concern. Had Mikan already woken up? If she had, then she would've been bound to notice Ibuki's disappearance. Had she already gone out to search for her, then? Fuyuhiko wasn't sure. On one hand, he needed someone to remain at the hospital in order to watch over Akane and Nagito. On the other, he needed to locate Ibuki as soon as possible, and if Mikan - unlikely as it was - wasn't already searching for her, then who would?

He considered rushing over to Hajime's cottage and alerting him of the situation, but he couldn't help but remain concerned about what would happen with Akane and Nagito during his absence. And if Hajime was already out there in search of Ibuki as well, then his time away from the hospital would take longer than necessarily.

He gritted his teeth. _Fuck it,_ he decided. _I'm a fuckin' Yakuza. I need to take the risk…_

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and then, determination and fear consuming his veins, he rushed out of the hospital in the hopes of finding the missing patient.

* * *

"What're you guys doing here!?"

He'd found Hajime, Mikan and Chiaki in the front of the motel, talking quietly amongst themselves. While it had appeared as though Hajime and Mikan had discovered Ibuki's disappearance as well, it didn't exactly look as though they were searching for her.

"F-Fuyuhiko?" Hajime gasped, surprised.

"Is something the matter?" Chiaki softly inquired, turning her head towards Fuyuhiko in concern.

"Damn right there is!" he snapped. "I'm lookin' for Ibuki!"

The other three students widened their eyes, shocked.

"L-looking for Ibuki?" Mikan repeated, alarmed. She clasped her hands together as she trembled fearfully.

"Yeah. She's vanished. Looked 'round the entire damn hospital for her plus a good chunk of this island."

"You've got to be kidding me…" Hajime murmured, hanging his head.

"We have a more immediate concern right now, Fuyuhiko," Chiaki mournfully informed him. "Apparently Hajime has discovered a body in the music venue."

"H-he what!?" Fuyuhiko gulped, barely succeeding at masking his unwelcome surprise.

"I-I can explain," Hajime offered, and Fuyuhiko couldn't help but notice that he seemed rather shaken himself. "You know that monitor Kazuichi made for us, right? When I entered the hospital this morning, the blue light was blinking. It wasn't the time we'd agreed upon for calling each other, but I figured that it was urgent, so I answered the call.

"What I saw on the monitor was someone who appeared to be about to hang themselves, but the screen blacked out before I could see what really happened. So I rushed over to the music venue in the hopes of stopping them before it was too late, but, well…" He trailed off.

The reality of the situation crashed and burned right down onto Fuyuhiko like a hurricane. Indeed, another death had occurred - they had lost another of their companions, maybe even two of them, bearing Ibuki's disappearance in mind. It wasn't even a murder this time - someone had succumbed to the despair of the current situation and killed themselves.

Or had they?

"We… we need to go to the music venue, right now," Hajime informed him, as though it was the last thing he'd wanted to do. "I don't know who it was who died, but…"

"But Ibuki-"

"She'll have to wait. We won't be long."

"...okay, fine then."

As the four of them hurried off towards the music venue, where one of the students had supposedly met their end, Fuyuhiko's heart clenched in fear of who the unfortunate victim may be. He wouldn't put it past Kazuichi to let everything get to him to such a degree - it was obvious how desperately he wished to escape the situation and return home. But then… Kazuichi had been perfectly fine as of late, hadn't he? And, more importantly, he was afraid of dying. He would do anything he could to get out of this menacing game alive - and to ensure that everyone else did, too.

They'd arrived at the music venue before they knew it. Hajime raced up to the double doors and tried to open them; however, they wouldn't budge.

"Locked," he announced with a frustrated sigh.

"The fuck!?" Fuyuhiko cried out. "How can it be locked!?"

"W-we need to get in there r-right now!" Mikan squeaked, wringing her hands in distress. "If there really is s-someone i-in there…"

"Of course," Chiaki agreed. "Stand back, everyone, and on the count of three, we'll charge at the door and see if we can get it open."

They nodded in agreement and stepped back, positioning themselves a few feet in front of the doors.

"One… two… three!"

The moment the word "three" was uttered, they all ran towards the doors as fast as they could. Their combined collision with them caused the doors to tremble slightly, but it wasn't enough to force them open. Fuyuhiko grunted as a dull pain attacked his head upon collision, and he could hear Mikan whimpering beside him.

"Let's try that again," he proposed as they straightened themselves and the pain quickly faded away. "We can do a lot better than that. On the count of three - one… two… three!"

And once again, they charged straight at the doors. This time, their combined collision had succeeded in breaking the hold on the two doors, and they slowly swung open to reveal the interior of the music venue.

Fuyuhiko pinched himself, not believing that this was real, that he wasn't trapped in a sadistic nightmare. But he still found himself staring in horror at the terrible scene before him.

Indeed, suspended by the neck above the stage with rope, a dim spotlight shining over them, was the suicide victim Hajime had mentioned. Fuyuhiko couldn't exactly identify them, as a hemp bag was obscuring their head, but due to the hospital gown and slippers they wore, as well as the long stream of monochrome hair lying down their chest and stomach, it was easy to guess. Their arms lay limply by their sides, and their head, hidden by the hemp bag, stared down at the four students who had come to witness the tragedy that had unfolded in the music venue - the very same place where Ibuki had thrown a recovery party for Fuyuhiko mere nights before…

But that was only the beginning. Tied up to the pillar to the right of the stage was a short girl who could only be Hiyoko. Although she was bound to the pillar with at least a dozen layers of tape, she, too, was unmistakably dead. Blood had spilled down the right-hand side of her kimono, and Fuyuhiko guessed that her right shoulder had been fatally injured. Curiously, her kimono sash was tied to the front in a large bow, much unlike how she'd typically wear it - rather, it resembled that of how the prostitutes who'd occasionally come to the Kuzuryuu Mansion would wear theirs. Her eyes were closed, almost peacefully, almost as though she were sleeping, but Fuyuhiko knew that she had to be dead.

The pink monitor in front of the stage was now nothing more than crushed scrap metal, as though someone had destroyed it.

Fuyuhiko had been raised and conditioned to see death everywhere he went and to become desensitised to it. The people of the Kuzuryuu syndicate ended peoples' lives on a daily basis, and Fuyuhiko was to do the same once he'd graduated high school. He could look at a corpse with a straight face, regardless of how bloodied it was, how severe the injuries were. It had always been that way. But this immunity to horror at death seemed to have ebbed away somewhat. He couldn't even think about the sights of Natsumi and Peko's lifeless bodies without becoming melancholy and wistful, even though his gag reflex worked like a pro and the sight of the blood they had spilled left him relatively unfazed. Presently, however, as he stared at Hiyoko's corpse in disbelief, his heart had plummeted to the ground as he processed the reality of what had happened.

Hiyoko Saionji, the girl so reluctant to forgive him for what he'd done to her best friend, was dead. She had died before Fuyuhiko even had a real chance to speak to her about the second class trial, before he could really be her friend… He thanked his lucky stars that he had at least been able to apologise to her.

The yellow monitor in the music venue flickered on, and Monokuma appeared on the screen, informing everyone on the island that a body had been discovered and that a class trial was to begin soon - an announcement Fuyuhiko had hoped to never hear again. This time, however, it was much worse, as there was not one body discovered, but two. And there could be more that had yet to be discovered, he feared.

He slowly turned his head around to survey the expressions his companions bore on their faces. Chiaki was frowning in dismay, looking away from the two corpses that had been found and instead focusing on comforting Mikan, who was sobbing uncontrollably. Even Hajime appeared to be shocked, as he had seen the hospital patient who'd hanged themselves first.

"This isn't good…" Monomi lamented, as she appeared beside Chiaki. "That bear has been killing people again…! We need to work together to stop him!"

Chiaki nodded. "But first, we need to identify who was hanged," she said as she pointed towards the figure hanging from the stage. "I believe there are some stage controls we can use to lower the body."

"Y-yeah…" Hajime agreed.

Chiaki hurried off to the stage controls, and Fuyuhiko couldn't help but stare as moments later, the body slowly lowered down until its feet barely brushed the floor of the stage. He, along with Chiaki, Hajime, Mikan and Monomi, climbed up onto the stage, where Chiaki then proceeded to untie the rope that had crushed the victim's windpipe. Immediately after that, she gently lay the victim down onto the stage.

"I'm going to remove the hemp bag now," she announced. "Are you ready?"

They all slowly nodded.

Chiaki knelt down beside the victim's head. Slowly, cautiously, she placed both of her hands on either side of the hemp bag, and carefully pulled it off of the victim's head.

Fuyuhiko already knew exactly who the victim was, long before her face was revealed, but seeing her face still caused his blood to run cold.

Now, lying there on the stage - the same stage she'd happily rocked out on at least two separate occasions - was the lifeless body of Ibuki. If he thought seeing this perpetually-cheerful, aimless girl bedridden and stoically determined to obey anyone's orders was bad enough… he wasn't prepared for the sight of her body with no sign of life whatsoever. The fact that Ibuki had gone out of her way to organise a surprise recovery party for him only made her suicide - murder-suicide? - come across as a much larger shock.

Mikan's sobs intensified upon seeing for herself that one of her patients was dead. "I-I should've kept a closer eye on her…" she hiccuped, as Chiaki moved beside her, patting her back in an attempt to soothe her. "I was too busy f-focusing on N-Nagito…"

"It's not your fault," Chiaki reassured her. "You did a great job, Mikan. It's just that there was no way you could've anticipated this happening."

"Yeah," Hajime agreed. "Keep up the good work, Mikan."

Mikan sniffled, wiping her eyes. She looked up at Fuyuhiko. "W-where are Akane and Nagito?" she asked. "Someone n-needs to go l-look a-after them…"

"Here they are!" Monokuma suddenly announced before Fuyuhiko could reply. They all turned to see that the dreaded monochrome bear had appeared just beside the stage.

"H-huh?" Monomi exclaimed. "Hey! What're you up to this time-"

As if on cue, a bunch of students tumbled through the entrance of the music venue. Fuyuhiko could quickly identify Gundam, Sonia and Kazuichi, as well as Akane and Nagito. Their expressions displayed horror and fear as they stared at the scene in front of them, seemingly unwilling to believe that two of their friends were now dead.

"I brought them all here all by myself," Monokuma proudly proclaimed. "You'd better thank me for-"

"He did it!" a voice loudly interrupted.

Everyone swiveled their heads to turn towards the source of the voice - Kazuichi. He was sweating in distress in fear, his body trembling a little.

"What're you talkin' about?" Fuyuhiko asked him, as he leaped off of the stage. "Who killed Ibuki and Hiyoko?"

Kazuichi slowly raised his trembling arm, and pointed straight ahead of him - directly at Fuyuhiko. "It was you!" he cried, swiftly stepping back. "I shouldn't have trusted you! You're the only one who could possibly pull this off!"


	10. Chapter 10: The Jumpstart

_In my timezone, this chapter has been published on the 16th of August - that is, Fuyuhiko's birthday. Happy birthday Fuyuhiko!_

 _As noted in the previous chapter, from the next chapter onwards the romance - which I'm sure many of you are here for - will finally begin to occur. It'll be subtle at first, but as the story progresses it will gradually come to the forefront. If you're reading this story for the friendship, and unwilling to stick around for the romance, then I'd consider Chapter 10 the ideal cutoff point._

 _Thank you all once again for the amazing feedback you have given me. I hope you continue to enjoy this story!_

* * *

 **Chapter 10: The Jumpstart**

The music venue was deathly silent. All eyes were on Kazuichi, who, in turn, was furiously glaring at Fuyuhiko. Despite his anger, his palms were sweating, and he was shuddering intensely. He knew that the cold had nothing to do with it, as it was quite warm in the building.

He turned his head away from the look of hurt etched across Fuyuhiko's face. No. He wasn't going to fall for that. He wasn't going to feel sad when they made it through the class trial and watched Fuyuhiko's horrifying execution, despite the fact that it was hard not to. Fuyuhiko was a ruthless, manipulative murderer who'd played him like a fiddle, and for the sake of the survival of himself and the other students still alive, he had to expose Fuyuhiko as the kind of person he really was.

"You're seriously accusin' me of havin' killed them?" Fuyuhiko eventually spoke up in disbelief, breaking the unbearable silence. "Even after I opened up to you guys? Even after I promised not to hurt anyone anymore? Even after I _sliced open my own stomach?_ Don't be ridiculous, Kazuichi."

"Any Yakuza can intentionally harm themselves and barely feel any pain to begin with," Kazuichi countered. "Yakuza also have exceptional skill in deceit and manipulation. These girls-" he gestured towards the lifeless bodies of Ibuki and Hiyoko, lying on the stage and taped to the right-hand pillar respectively "-were the two students, besides myself, who have forgiven you most openly in their own ways. Ibuki threw a recovery party for you, and Hiyoko forgave you for orchestratin' the death of someone she considered a sister. And you paid them back by taking their lives!?"

"Oooh, this is intense," Monokuma commented, twitching with excitement and interest in the argument between the two boys. "Someone gimme some popcorn!"

"No, this stops right now!" Monomi shouted from the stage. She frowned at Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi in turn, clearly disappointed. "Please stop fighting! The only way this situation will improve is if we all get along and-"

"Shut up!" Kazuichi interrupted. "I'm not gonna get along with a sociopathic murderer! H-he could've killed me too, because I blindly trusted him!"

"The hell makes you think I'd actually kill anyone!?" Fuyuhiko shouted.

"You have the power to kill anyone here and get away with it. And by gettin' away with it, you'd kill everyone else too. Have to wonder if you're the traitor among us and your clan are forcin' us all to kill each other…"

"So you're saying I killed Peko on purpose, then," Fuyuhiko whispered, staring down at his feet.

"Honestly, it really wouldn't-"

"I don't think Fuyuhiko has killed anyone," Chiaki cut in. "We haven't started the investigation just yet, but I highly doubt that he'd even attempt murder after everything he's been through recently." She smiled at Fuyuhiko sympathetically as she said this.

"But-"

"And I don't think he or the Kuzuryuu Clan are responsible for this dire situation we're in, either," she continued. "It seems that he genuinely has strong feelings for Peko, and really didn't want her to die. If he was the mastermind, he would've broken his own rules and let her live."

Fuyuhiko slowly nodded in confirmation.

"That doesn't change my suspicions," said Kazuichi. "Like I said, out of all of us here right now, he's the only one who could be capable of killing someone and getting away with it. I'm not gonna let us all die because of him!"

"You do realise that Ibuki was hanged by the time I-"

"Silence!"

Everyone's eyes now fixated upon Sonia, who stood tall with her hands on her hips in an authoritarian manner.

"Kazuichi, if you have any accusations or suspicions, it would be ideal to let us discuss them at the class trial," she said. "That goes for everyone else too. But for now, we need to begin investigating before we jump to conclusions and accuse one another for causing this unforeseen tragedy."

"Y-yes, Miss Sonia!" Kazuichi squeaked.

"Aw, I was really enjoying that brawl!" Monokuma complained. "But the Ultimate Princess does have a point… I haven't even handed out the murder details yet! Those, of course, will be found in… the Monokuma File!"

As if on cue, the survivors' Student Handbooks all sounded with a "beep" simultaneously, indicating that the third Monokuma File had successfully been uploaded onto the system.

"Um… what's going on?" Nagito piped up, rubbing his eyes in a daze. "It appears that another murder has occurred, but I have no memory of what has happened up to this point. What an inconvenience!"

Beside him, Akane was weeping quite loudly, but as soon as his words were spoken, her sobs died down into quiet hiccups. "Huh? The heck's happenin'?" she wondered aloud as she traced the tear tracks down her face, puzzled. "Why am I crying…?"

"It looks like th-the disease is c-cured!" Mikan announced with a pleased smile on her face.

"But how…?" Hajime questioned with a quizzical glance at the two living patients. "We never found a cure or anything, did we?"

"All I needed out of that was a murder!" Monokuma cackled, darkly amused. "And we were fortunate enough to get two deaths out of that! Wow, whoever was responsible must've really been off their rocket!"

"I know Fuyuhiko sure is," Kazuichi muttered to himself. No one seemed to had heard him, though.

"Now then! You've got a very limited time to investigate!" Monokuma happily announced. "The class trial starts real soon! I'll see you there!" And with a taunting wave of his paw, the monochrome bear disappeared.

The remaining students, as well as Monomi, stood frozen in their places in silence, still processing what was going on. They were undergoing this morbid, frightening process for the third time now. The first two times had been almost unbearable for Kazuichi, but this time around he was incredibly close to suffering a breakdown. People were dropping dead left and right, and he had reason to believe that Fuyuhiko - his closest friend and confidant - was responsible for it all. He almost felt alone again. How had he not realised how dangerous it was to get close to anyone in this situation? How could he let himself get hurt like this?

"Kazuichi," Hajime spoke up as he walked towards the mechanic. "You said you believe Fuyuhiko killed these two… right?"

Kazuichi bit his lip and nodded.

"Why's that? Have you seen him do anything suspicious?"

Come to think of it, he hadn't. The last time he'd seen Fuyuhiko in the flesh was when he'd dropped his communication system off at the hospital. After that, he'd only seen his face via their daily video calls. But that still didn't eliminate the possibility that Fuyuhiko had managed to kill Ibuki and Hiyoko.

"Have you?" he responded with a shake of his head.

"I don't think so," said Hajime. "As far as I'm aware, he went straight to his cottage after visiting hours were closed, and slept until the morning."

"But you didn't see him," Kazuichi insisted. "He could've done anythin'. Like, he could've gone back to the hospital, grabbed Ibuki, gone to the motel, grabbed Hiyoko, took 'em both down here, and killed 'em."

"That sounds a little convoluted," Hajime commented. "Someone would've had to notice-"

"Then he could've distracted 'em," Kazuichi interrupted. "Or maybe they were all asleep, so he had to sneak in and get his victims without wakin' anyone up."

Hajime sighed. "Why're you so determined to accuse him of this? I thought you've been getting close with him lately. Did you guys have a fight or something?"

Kazuichi paused, wracking his brain for a good response to this question. No, he and Fuyuhiko never really had a major fight up until this double murder; in fact, they'd been getting along quite well. Their small but frequent arguments had become a natural part of their bond that Kazuichi couldn't help but enjoy somewhat. But that just made this entire ordeal more suspicious and terrifying.

"...I guess I'm just scared," he murmured, turning his gaze elsewhere, nervously twiddling his thumbs. "Scared that I'll be used and betrayed. And scared of dyin'."

Hajime looked into his eyes gently with a soft smile. "I won't deny that I feel the same way," he confessed. "And I think many of the others are, too. But… I'm sure that the murder wasn't intentional or done out of unjustified malice this time around."

"You don't understand!" Kazuichi snapped. "F-Fuyuhiko's a fucking Yakuza. Trusting him has to be one of the stupidest things I've ever done! And when you're stuck on an island with all these people and forced to kill each other… who should you trust?"

Hajime hesitated for a moment. With another sigh, he eventually spoke again. "Fuyuhiko's changed a lot over the past week," he said. "He still has some rough edges, but… I think anyone would've been that deeply affected if they watched their childhood friend die and realised that their sister was killed, both in the same day."

"You trust him too!?" Kazuichi screeched, bewildered. He angrily pulled at his hair, glaring at Hajime. "Well, if we all die because we failed to identify Fuyuhiko as the killer, then it's our responsibility! Not his, ours!"

"Kazuichi-"

Before Hajime could object, Kazuichi scrambled inside the music venue's storage room, slammed the door behind him, crouched in one of the corners and buried his face in his hands.

* * *

The third trial went on for almost the entire day. It was long and exhausting, and by the end of it Kazuichi was on the brink of a nervous breakdown.

Throughout the entire trial, he'd stubbornly clung to his belief that Fuyuhiko was the culprit, and once Mikan was accused, he, along with almost everyone else, objected, not believing that she - the timid, selfless nurse who'd exhausted herself from taking care of the victims of the Despair Disease - would kill anyone, let alone Ibuki and Hiyoko. They were all surprised to learn that she, in order to fulfill her own despair after having caught the disease herself, had snapped and taken advantage of Ibuki's condition in order to send her to the music venue, strangle her to death and frame it as a suicide, complete with filming a fake suicide video that Hajime had watched from the pink monitor at the hospital.

Meanwhile, Hiyoko had gone to the music venue herself in search of a mirror she could use to assist her in tying her kimono sash. Unfortunately, she'd entered at a bad time, and she had the knowledge that Mikan had killed Ibuki. So before she could run away and tell everyone what was going on, Mikan had tied her to the right-hand pillar and slashed her throat with a knife, effectively silencing her.

And so, when the trial had concluded, everyone, with the exception of Mikan, had left the trial room in one piece - but not without encountering an additional surprise. They'd rushed to the beach on the main island to find that Nekomaru had returned to them in good health, but he was no longer human - he was a robot. While he retained his intelligence and enthusiastic personality, his appearance had changed drastically, to the point where the other survivors were certain that they'd have to take some time to adjust to it. Even so, they were pleased to have the strong-willed man back, especially after they'd lost three of their friends that day.

As Kazuichi solemnly watched the other students head back to their cottages, mentally worn-out from the day's events, he realised that he had returned to the very state he'd been prior to the day he'd visited Fuyuhiko at the hospital - alone. He'd effectively pushed away the only person on the island who took the time out of his day to keep him company. He'd placed himself back on square one, a place he didn't want to be. His mind was still frantically processing the load of appalling information and sights he had seen that day. He was sorely tempted to collapse onto the sand and cry, but he knew that he couldn't do that - he was a man. Men had to be strong, didn't they?

Yet, according to the shounen manga he'd read, a man couldn't be strong if he didn't have friends by his side.

"Fuyuhiko!" he called out, spotting the shorter boy walking towards his cottage and running after him. "H-hey, wait up!"

Fuyuhiko stopped in his tracks and turned towards Kazuichi, his uncovered eye narrowed in a glare. "Ya need somethin'?" he snapped. "I thought I was a killer to you."

"I just…" Kazuichi trailed off, the words getting caught in his throat before he could let them out. Once he saw the look of anger and hurt in Fuyuhiko's eye, he couldn't bring himself to look away. He was desperate to make amends, but he was deathly afraid that Fuyuhiko no longer wanted anything to do with him. The thought saddened him.

"Hurry up and spit it out, I ain't got all day," Fuyuhiko grumbled.

"I just wanted to apologise," Kazuichi finally admitted. "It's just… I had no other way to know that Mikan did it… and I was scared, y'know?"

Fuyuhiko skeptically raised an eyebrow. "Looks like this calls for some sappy heart-to-heart moment," he said.

"Wha-"

"Come to my cottage. It's fuckin' freezin' out here."

With his eyes wide in astonishment, Kazuichi quickly nodded. He hadn't expected Fuyuhiko to forgive him this easily. Or did he? Was this some kind of death trap he'd planted just then? He'd take Kazuichi back to his cottage, where no one else would be able to see him, and-

"Move it," Fuyuhiko barked. Kazuichi had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed him beginning to walk to his cottage. "If you don't know where my cottage is, you could just follow me."

Taking a deep breath, Kazuichi complied. He needed to do his best to be strong, and brave. If Fuyuhiko tried anything on him, he could cry out for help, or stupefy him using one of his tools as a weapon. He wouldn't kill him, of course - that wouldn't end well for anyone.

The walk to Fuyuhiko's cottage didn't take long at all, and neither of them uttered a word throughout the trip. Once they'd reached their destination, Fuyuhiko fished his key out of his pocket and used it to unlock and open the door, and he and Kazuichi entered the cottage in silence.

In contrast to Kazuichi's cottage, Fuyuhiko's was tidy and well-organised. His bed was made, and there were no stray clothes or rubbish lying around on the floor. It even smelled a little nicer - a sharp, cinnamon-esque aroma filled the room.

Fuyuhiko sat on his bed and patted the spot beside him, gesturing for Kazuichi to sit next to him, and Kazuichi obliged. They sat in silence for a moment, as though pondering what they were going to say to each other, and Kazuichi anxiously tensed. He had a lot to say to Fuyuhiko - he simply didn't know where to begin.

"Been a stressful day," Fuyuhiko commented, breaking the silence at last. He placed his hands in his lap, staring downwards at them. "Thought we were all gonna be screwed."

"We probably would be if Hajime and Chiaki hadn't deduced that Mikan killed 'em," Kazuichi sighed. "'Cuz I woulda voted for you. I was so convinced that you were the one who pulled it off…"

"Why, though?" Fuyuhiko inquired, looking up at Kazuichi curiously. "There was basically no evidence that even suggested that I was the one who did it. I even had an alibi - I was asleep in my cottage the night the murders happened."

"Like I said… I was scared." Kazuichi bit his lip, albeit gently, as biting it any harder would be bound to draw blood. "I was used before, y'know. Used for his personal gain, and betrayed. By a close friend, no less. I didn't want that to happen again, and…" He swallowed. "I didn't wanna die. Still don't."

He studied Fuyuhiko's facial expression, searching for any signs of sympathy from the shorter boy. Despite his youthful face, with its soft, round cheeks and freckles dusted across his nose, Fuyuhiko's single, golden eye was narrowed steadily, as though it had long ago become accustomed to seeing terror everywhere he went. It almost made him look much older than he really was.

"Betrayal? Heh. Nothin' new to me," said Fuyuhiko. "It's somethin' I had to get used to from an early age. I was taught not to expect anyone to stay with me for so long. The only people I could trust with my life, from the moment I was born, were two people who were with me right from the beginnin'." He paused for a moment. "But they're both gone now," he murmured. "Never comin' back. So I guess I'm all alone now. I have no one I can fully trust. Well, I guess I kinda trusted you, but… well, to put it bluntly, you have some serious trust issues."

This was nothing new to Kazuichi and he knew it.

"You're so damn lucky," he said. "You've had these two great friends - hell, siblin's - throughout your entire life. And then there's me, an only child who never had a true friend to call my own." He took a deep breath, before continuing. "The one friend I did have… he was in middle school. He was the first person I had in my life who I seriously felt I could tell anythin' to. Hell, he was the only kid in middle school who really stuck up for me. To everyone else I was just that weakling who didn't fit in.

"Now one day we were doing this math test that he found insanely difficult. Math is one of my strong suits, see, but he was hopeless at it. So he begged me to let him copy off my answers, and I agreed. But we both got caught, and he said that I was just willingly giving him the answers.

"I didn't even mind getting ratted out over it. I was doing him a favour, y'know? But after that, he avoided me, and things between us were never the same again."

"So you lost someone too," Fuyuhiko spoke up quietly. He let out a dry chuckle. "Guess we're both alone then. Both in the same boat."

"But if we have each other, then that means we're not alone, right?" Kazuichi pointed out. "I mean… we're still friends, right?"

Fuyuhiko's single eye widened, stunned, and he turned away from Kazuichi to hide the faint blush that had spread across his cheeks. "You still think of me as a friend after all that?" he asked. "You do realise that you spent the entirety of today accusing me of killing those two girls, right?"

"What else was I supposed to do!?" Kazuichi cried. "I was afraid, and I couldn't ignore the possibility that you were the killer, and-"

"Shut up, Kazuichi." Fuyuhiko turned to refocus his eye contact with Kazuichi. "I ain't mad. Hell, I feel like I understand you a little after this. It's just… I dunno. It feels… odd, to be doin' this kinda thing with someone besides Peko or Natsumi… but y'know, there's somethin' that's been on my mind for awhile now. Why'd you visit me alone in the hospital? I thought you were scared of me or some shit."

"...I guess I was lonely," Kazuichi confessed. "I mean, everyone else had already really clicked with each other, and for how sweet and attractive Miss Sonia is, she seems like she's really far away…"

He heard Fuyuhiko scoff beside him, but decided not to dignify it with a response.

"Perhaps more importantly, though," he went on, "I began to see you in a different light. I mean, until the second trial I… was really afraid that you'd take advantage of your talent and do somethin' terrible to us." He nervously toyed with his shoulder-length hair with a sigh. "I didn't even know you could be so broken. I guess I went and visited you because I finally began to see you as human, and a potential friend… I could always use a friend. A true one, at that."

Fuyuhiko's lips turned up, ever so slightly, into a small smile. It was the first time Kazuichi had ever seen such a genuine smile on his face, and seeing it caused Kazuichi to break out into a wide, stupid grin. The shorter boy straightened himself, a determined gleam in his eye.

"Y'know what, fuck it," he declared. "Let's keep doin' what we've been doin'. We're companions, now. You and me. Us against the world - well, more like us against Monokuma. But you get my drift." He stood up and extended a hand towards Kazuichi. "How 'bout it?"

Kazuichi stared up at him, bewildered, his chest filled with a joyful warmth at the thought of Fuyuhiko forgiving him, wishing to continue being his friend. He never thought he'd see the day where he'd befriend a yakuza heir of all things - he'd thought likewise as he was walking down to the hospital to check on him - but here he was, reaching out to take Fuyuhiko's hand in his, officially sealing the deal. He was certain that they'd already been friends before this, but it was great to know that they could make it official.

The small, content smile reappeared on Fuyuhiko's face, and Kazuichi almost laughed out loud in joy at the sight of it. He'd only realised it just then, at that brief moment, but all he'd wanted was to see Fuyuhiko be as happy as he could be. He felt that his own happiness was directly influenced by Fuyuhiko's - and this was a feeling he'd experienced with his ex-best friend in middle school, too.

"Th-thank you," Kazuichi finally managed to say, his cheeks a soft pink. "Thanks for forgivin' me. You have no idea how much that-"

"Yeah, yeah, enough with the cheesy dialogue," Fuyuhiko interrupted. He was smirking in that way he often did when he made a sarcastic remark, and Kazuichi couldn't resist chuckling. "'S no problem, really."

For once, everything felt as bright and hopeful as it could ever be, and Kazuichi was confident that this time, no one was going to mess up. No one else was going to die. They would all escape Monokuma's deadly grip and return home, living their own lives - together, maybe.

Little did he know that there was still a long road ahead.


	11. Chapter 11: The Flicker of Hope

_Whew, this chapter was a pain to write... but it had to be done._

 _Before I write Chapter 12, I'm going to be writing an admittedly rather late prologue to the story; however I'm not sure if I'll be able to post it chronologically before Chapter 1. Worst cas_ _e scenario I may have to post it in Chapter 1, but at the top before Chapter 1 actually starts. Either way, if you'd like to see the prologue when it gets posted I'd suggest checking Chapter 1 every so often, just in case. The prologue won't take long to write, since it will, of course, be short._

 _After the prologue is written and published, I will be going back and revising the earlier chapters of this fanfiction. This, as well as the prologue, is mostly for the sake of polishing the realism of Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi's relationship, as I feel that there is an aspect or two of it that I feel I have failed to properly address. Spelling and grammar errors will also be ironed out during this revision process. Aside from the prologue, no events in the story will be drastically altered, and so, the earlier chapters don't need to be re-read. Chapter 12 will be written during this revision process, so don't worry; I will still get it done and published as soon as possible._

 _Now, please enjoy Chapter 11_!

* * *

 **Chapter 11: The Flicker of Hope**

"So… Sonia came over to my cottage last night after you left."

Kazuichi froze in place on the path leading from his cottage to Hotel Mirai. He stared incredulously at Fuyuhiko, his mouth open in shock. "Sh-she did!?" he shrieked.

"Don't jump to conclusions," Fuyuhiko sighed, stopping in his tracks as well. "All she wanted was to come check on me and see how I was holdin' up. Y'know, 'cuz I got accused of being the murderer and Hiyoko was killed and all that shit."

"And she never visited me!?" Kazuichi cried.

"Not surprised she didn't considering the way you drool over her like some thirsty puppy."

Kazuichi gave Fuyuhiko a dirty look. "If you like her too… you're goin' on my blacklist. No exceptions. I don't need another love rival."

"For fuck's sake, I'm not into her!" Fuyuhiko snapped. "What the fuck gave you that idea?"

"If you say so…"

"Now get your ass over to the restaurant with me. We're runnin' late for breakfast."

"R-right!"

And so they continued their trek down to the restaurant in silence.

The islands seemed a lot quieter now, without Ibuki, Hiyoko or Mikan around. Out of the three of them, Ibuki had always been the loudest due to her irritating tendency to sneak up on people and shout a nonsensical greeting right at them, as well as the music she liked to play. Hiyoko, meanwhile, picked on Mikan every chance she got, causing her to tearfully apologise. It was simply… weird to think that he was never going to see them again, and he couldn't help but feel a constant pang of guilt for never having been able to establish a proper friendship with Hiyoko. He'd been hoping to perhaps hang out with her in order to clear the air once and for all, likely after the whole Despair Disease ordeal had been resolved, but the disease had been cured at the cost of three lives, Hiyoko's included.

Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi had reached Hotel Mirai in no time, and they immediately entered in order to head down into the restaurant. While not everyone had arrived yet, it was easy to notice just how many seats were going to be vacant as opposed to the time they'd all first arrived on the island. At least half of the group remained, and the number seemed to keep dwindling as time went by.

Akane and Nekomaru sat together, the former enthusiastically chowing down as much food as possible while the latter simply encouraged her with a wide smile on his metal face. There was no plate in front of him, which made sense to Fuyuhiko - Nekomaru no longer needed to eat. On the opposite side of the table were Sonia and Gundam, who were chatting quietly amongst themselves. Fortunately, Kazuichi was too busy marvelling at Nekomaru's new form to pay them any mind. Only Hajime, Chiaki and Nagito were absent, though Fuyuhiko was certain that they would arrive soon enough.

Fuyuhiko took a seat at one end of the table, and Kazuichi sat beside him a moment later. The shorter boy rolled his single eye, annoyed, as he observed the mountains of food rapidly shrinking as Akane pulled them towards her and into her mouth. He almost wished she'd revert back to her depressed, Despair Disease-addled self.

"Y'know there's not gonna be enough for everyone if you keep eating so much, right?" he pointed out as he helped himself to a serving of rice. "We still have a lot of bellies to feed." In actuality, there were only eight stomachs left to fill, and although that was half of the original number - sixteen - it was still a lot of people.

"Issokay," said Akane, the unusually large amount of food in her mouth muffling her speech. "Thasllottafoob."

"'Scuse me?"

Akane gulped down the food in her mouth and tried again. "There's still a lotta food here, Baby Gangsta," she told him as she gestured towards the bowls and plates of food that covered the table. "Enough to feed a whole-"

"Did you seriously just call me "Baby Gangsta"!?" Fuyuhiko interrupted as he leapt to his feet and glared down at Akane. He could feel his face heating up in anger and embarrassment as his fists clenched tightly together.

Akane grinned at him, her eyes shining with mirth and amusement, although there was something… off about them, Fuyuhiko noticed. He couldn't quite place his finger on what, though.

He sighed as he sat down again, turning towards Kazuichi. "I'll tell you 'bout the thing with Sonia later," he promised. "Now's not the time."

"I'd better hear about it today at least," Kazuichi threatened.

Soon enough, Chiaki and Hajime had arrived together, and then Nagito shortly afterwards. The collective of students sat and ate without too much commotion, and Fuyuhiko was certain that this was the quietest breakfast they had ever had. This pleased him, for the most part; however, there was an unnerving sense of tension and misery beneath the strained smiles of the students. He was glad that after all that had happened as a result of the third murder case, Kazuichi was still by his side. He knew that he was not alone, even if Peko was no longer present.

"Hey everyone!" Monomi called out as she bounded into the restaurant. "I have good news for you all!"

"Geez, whaddaya want now?" Fuyuhiko growled. "Can't you just leave us alone for once?"

Monomi's tiny legs trembled a little as she clasped her paws together, her ears drooping slightly in sadness. "No one respects their teacher…" she lamented.

"I assume a new island is open?" Sonia asked, looking up from her plate of food.

"Ding-da-ding ding! That's correct!" Monomi exclaimed as her ears straightened themselves once again and her tiny eyes beamed with pride. "I took down another one of those scary beasts!"

"Awesome!" Akane cheered as she pumped her fists. "New sights, new smells… maybe even new tastes!"

"I hope there's a training ground!" Nekomaru exclaimed.

"What secrets may lurk this mysterious new land?" Gundam wondered aloud as he placed a finger to his chin in thought.

"Let us find out!" Sonia declared as she confidently flexed her arms.

Fuyuhiko turned to glance at Kazuichi. "So we'll be doin' this thing again," he muttered. "Don't s'pose you wanna explore this new island with me?"

"We're all explorin' it together, aren't we?" Kazuichi replied.

"Well, yeah, but I mean…" Fuyuhiko could feel his face burning a little in embarrassment. Despite this, he was still able to maintain eye contact with Kazuichi. "You invited me on a tour of the third island last time, so I should be returnin' the favour. Only this time's the first either of us have been on the island at all."

"That's true," said Kazuichi. "Well, in that case, now I have another man-date with you to look forward to! Just gotta finish this bowl of soba-"

"Did you just call this a _man-date!?_ " Fuyuhiko cut in, astonished. "Do you even have any idea about the implications of that!?" He cursed under his breath as he realised that his blush had intensified slightly.

"I don't see the problem."

"Why don't you just call it a hangout, or a day out, or somethin' like that?"

Kazuichi shrugged, and Fuyuhiko wondered what was up with that boy.

* * *

Following the conclusion of breakfast, everyone had immediately ventured out to the new island that had been opened up to them. The nine students crossed the long bridge that led to the fourth island, anticipating the new clues to their current situation that they hoped it would bring - shortly after Monomi's announcement about this new island, Monokuma had appeared and informed them of the clues the island had that could lead to their escape. Despite the suspicions of this being a trap, they had eagerly decided to go through with their original plan of exploring the island.

The first thing Fuyuhiko noticed about the fourth island as soon as they'd arrived was its rather cheerful atmosphere, as opposed to the other islands. It appeared to be a rather decent-sized amusement park, for it boasted rides, food stalls and even what appeared to be a gigantic castle. Fuyuhiko had never been to anything like this during his childhood as a result of his upbringing - his parents never found the time to take him, and the mansion's servants were discouraged from taking him themselves as it was a "distraction" to his journey of becoming the Kuzuryuus' heir - but he'd always secretly wished to attend such a function.

"An amusement park, huh?" Nagito remarked, tilting his head in interest. "Looks like a fun place to be… such a pity no one's here, though."

"Oh my!" Sonia exclaimed as she clapped her hands together in excitement. "This is a form of Japanese entertainment, is it not? I do wish places like this existed back home!"

Right, so I'm not the only one who hasn't been to any of these before, Fuyuhiko thought with a sigh of relief. He briefly thought about exploring this strange island with Sonia instead, as that would mean they could experience an amusement park for the first time together. But he could think of at least two reasons why Kazuichi wouldn't take this arrangement very well, and he didn't feel like putting up with it. Besides, he'd much rather spend the day with Kazuichi, especially after everything that had happened yesterday.

The rest of the students immediately split up and headed off to different parts of the island that they wanted to explore, leaving only Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi in front of the bridge that connected the fourth and central islands.

"Where d'ya wanna go first?" Kazuichi asked him. "There're a lotta places to go."

Fuyuhiko shrugged. "Didn't think my first experience at an amusement park would take place during our pathetic excuse for a school trip," he replied.

Kazuichi's jaw dropped open in surprise. "You've never been to an amusement park before?"

"Nope. Never got to go."

"That sucks, man. I always went to these places as a kid! I wanted to know how the rides worked! For awhile I even had this crazy ambition to run my own amusement park and build my own rides. I had some really cool ideas for what kinds of rides I wanted to build!"

""S that so?"

"Yeah! There was this firefighter simulator I wanted to do where you go on a joyride around the park in a firetruck driven by one of the park staff. I built the firetruck awhile back, but when I tried to give it to the local amusement park they didn't want it because they felt that the fire station would see better use of the truck."

"Bet it would," Fuyuhiko muttered.

"Shuddap! Anyway, out of all of my ideas, the one I was most enthusiastic about… was the rocketship simulator. Well, that and the actual rocketship I really wanna build."

"You wanna build a rocketship?" Fuyuhiko tilted his head slightly, feigning interest. "I thought you were the Ultimate Mechanic, not the Ultimate Astronaut."

"Who says mechanics can't build rocketships?" Kazuichi argued. "Buildin' and maintainin' a rocketship is just like takin' care of a car. It needs an engine, it needs fuel… all that shit just to get it goin', y'know?"

"Yeah, yeah, I getcha. Now where d'ya wanna go first?"

"I wanna go over to that castle over there!" Kazuichi exclaimed as he pointed towards the castle in question, looming menacingly over the fourth island's abandoned rides, stalls and sites. It didn't exactly look like a castle - at least, not the type of castle Kazuichi seemed to have in mind - but it instead resembled a fortress.

"You sure about that?" Fuyuhiko responded. "I don't think Sonia's even gonna be there, so don't get your hopes up."

"I'm sure she will!" Kazuichi countered as his eyes glimmered with excitement. "The castle is where she belongs, y'know?"

"How about you come back down to Earth and see the truth, stupid astronaut."

"But I'm not even- hey, what'd you just call me!?"

Fuyuhiko sighed in exasperation as he began to walk towards the castle. "Whatever. Let's just go."

As the two of them made their way down to the castle, the sheer oddity of the amusement park's near-empty state was becoming much more apparent to Fuyuhiko - it even unnerved him a little. Even as someone who had never set foot in an amusement park previously, Fuyuhiko could easily picture these types of locations being the sort that youth would attend in order to just relax and have a good time. There should be families around here - mothers pushing strollers that carried their sleeping babies, and fathers threatening to use the last ticket on himself if his children failed to stop fighting. And there should be teenagers, too - not only the unfortunate group of Ultimates who had been sent on these islands to kill each other, but regular teens as well, with no remarkable talent to call their own and no hope in being invited to enroll in Hope's Peak Academy. There should be a lot more activity on this island, but as was the case with every other island, no tourists were to be found. Fuyuhiko snickered at the thought of grabbing food from one of the nearby food stalls and subsequently either turning into a pig, or finding himself in a realm of spirits.

Up close, the castle didn't look quite as terrifying as Fuyuhiko had anticipated, but it still wasn't the dreamy castle out of a fairytale that Kazuichi had been hoping for. It was a large structure that took up almost half of the rear area of the island, with several layers of small towers dotted around the building. The entrance, flanked by colourful flags, had no doors, and to Fuyuhiko's surprise, it wasn't very dark inside.

By the time they'd reached the castle, they couldn't help but notice that Hajime and Nekomaru were there as well, observing the castle in silence.

"Hey, Nekomaru!" Kazuichi called as he rushed towards him. "How's your new body goin'? D'ya need any repairs? Everythin' workin' okay?"

Fuyuhiko sighed, and he caught sight of Hajime rolling his eyes in response to the odd exchange happening between them. So I'm not the only one who thinks he's weird, he thought, half-amused.

"No need to worry about me!" Nekomaru assured him. "Everything's working perfectly fine! I'll call you up if something goes wrong, okay?"

"Yeah, please do!"

"In actual fact, I think I've found a new function of mine!"

"Really?" Kazuichi's eyes shone brightly in excitement. "Oh man, you gotta show us!"

"Alright!" Nekomaru clenched his fists and bent his knees a little, as though he were squatting. The loud grunts that sounded from him, accompanied with this odd imagery, sounded as though he were using the bathroom. Fuyuhiko could only hope that this new function didn't entail anything gross.

He jumped slightly as the two large rectangular flaps on Nekomaru's chest burst open to reveal-

"A… clock?"

Nekomaru laughed. "That's right! The most accurate clock out there!"

"That's amazin'!" said Kazuichi as he leaned in to take a closer look. "I mean, it's not as cool as bein' able to fly, but that could still be pretty useful!"

Nekomaru beamed as he closed up his chest compartment again. "If you ever need to know what the time is and there aren't any clocks around, you can count on me!"

"Yeah…" Hajime smiled a little. "Thanks, Nekomaru."

"Anytime!"

"So how 'bout it?" Fuyuhiko spoke up. "We gonna get into this fuckin' castle or not?"

"Yeah, let's go ahead and go in," Hajime agreed.

The four of them moved to enter, but found themselves stopped by a small, pink creature - whom, they immediately realised as they looked down for a closer look, was Monomi. She was trembling slightly, her tiny, beady eyes wavering in fear.

"D-don't go in there!" she warned. "Th-there are mice in there! I really don't like mice…" She gasped quietly and wrapped her short arms around her own small form.

"You're… scared of mice?" Hajime tentatively asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

Monomi nodded. "I really can't handle them… you really shouldn't go in there where your teacher can't accompany you!"

Standing beside her - and Fuyuhiko swore he wasn't there when she'd first appeared - was an uncharacteristically silent Monokuma. If he was seeing the same fear in the one beady little eye that the murderous bear possessed, Fuyuhiko had to be on some kind of drug. "Don't tell me you have a fear of mice too," he sighed.

"Mice are so scary!" Monokuma moaned with a look of disgust on his face.

The students looked at each other, bemused. Mice didn't seem to be much of a threat to them - then again, they shared these islands with a sadistic bear, so who knew what might happen? On the other hand, if said sadistic bear was somehow afraid of mice, then perhaps he wasn't responsible for whatever this castle contained, and thus there was no danger to be found here.

"We're going in anyway," Hajime announced. "I'm sure we'll be fine. Mice can't be that bad… they're just household pests, aren't they?"

Fuyuhiko nodded. "Nothin' we can't handle."

"Oh dear, I don't like this…" Monomi fretted. "P-please be careful in there! I'd hate for anything to happen to you…"

"Yeah, whatever," Fuyuhiko dismissed. "C'mon, guys. Let's go."

The two stuffed animals hesitantly cleared the path for them, granting them entry into the wide halls of the castle. At the end of the hall was a large, wooden pair of doors. Nekomaru confidently stepped forward and attempted to open the doors, but, to the quartet's dismay, they wouldn't budge.

"The hell?" Fuyuhiko glared at the doors as though they had personally offended them. "Why won't they open!?"

"M-maybe the miiiiiiiiice are b-blocking it…" Monokuma proposed, clasping his paws together in fear.

"You're kiddin' me," Kazuichi grunted. "Well, that was pointless."

"Yeah," Fuyuhiko agreed. "Guess we should piss off and go elsewhere."

"Well, you could round up the others and you could all go ride the rollercoaster!" Monokuma suggested. "I'll see you all there! I have a surprise for you all if you decide to ride it…" With that, the two stuffed animals bounced away.

The boys looked at each other. "Well? Should we?" Hajime asked.

Kazuichi tugged slightly at his beanie. "On one hand, we'll hopefully be getting ship parts. On the other… d-do I really need to ride that thing!?"

"'Course you do," Fuyuhiko bluntly replied.

"Seriously!?"

"Looks like Fuyuhiko's already made up his mind!" Nekomaru laughed. "Well, I, as team manager, wholeheartedly agree with his decision! And what about you, Hajime?"

Hajime tapped his chin in thought. "Well, if we want to get clues about the Future Foundation, this is the only way to do it," he mused. "It'll be fun, anyway. So I don't see why we shouldn't do it."

Kazuichi loudly huffed in frustration, and Fuyuhiko rolled his single eye. "Let's go grab the others, then," he said. "Think they're all at that weird-ass haunted house over there."

"Alright!" Nekomaru enthusiastically agreed.

The walk over to said haunted house - which had the opposite effect of fear; in fact, it more closely resembled a ransacked cottage - only took at least a minute, and sure enough, Gundam, Nagito, Akane, Sonia and Chiaki were all gathered around this odd structure.

"We need to go to the rollercoaster," Hajime told them. "Monokuma says he'll give us something useful if we ride it."

"Oh, that doesn't sound too bad!" Nagito remarked. "Though I'm not so fond of the really steep downward slopes…"

"A rollercoaster?" Sonia repeated, her eyes wide in curiosity. "What might that be? It sounds like fun!"

"It's a popular amusement park attraction where you ride around a complex track," Chiaki explained. "Be warned, you might get a little dizzy."

"Oh, I see!" Sonia exclaimed. "Then I would like to experience this myself!"

"Then let us go!" said Gundam with a wide grin on his face.

The collective of students hurried over to the rollercoaster, where Monokuma had been waiting for them.

"I see you have all decided to ride my latest and greatest attraction!" he said. "Well, if all nine of you decide to give it a whirl… I have prepared a super-important artifact that will grant you some vital info on the Future Foundation!" He held up a small black book that had the Future Foundation logo printed on the bottom right-hand corner. "But all of you will need to ride it in order to obtain it… so there'd better not be a worthless wimp among you guys who'll ruin it for everyone!"

All eyes turned to Kazuichi, whose eyes were hidden beneath the beanie he'd pulled down.

"Kazuichi?" Chiaki spoke.

"I… have motion sickness…" Kazuichi confessed as he let go of his beanie and stared down at the ground, ashamed.

"Do you really?" Gundam inquired with an eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"Y-yeah…"

"Well…" Chiaki puffed her cheeks thoughtfully - a gesture Fuyuhiko couldn't help but think was absolutely ridiculous. "We'll let you sit down for awhile afterwards, okay? It won't be a long ride."

"I guess… still not in the mood to get on that thing, though."

"Well, you're gonna hafta," said Fuyuhiko. "Otherwise we're not gonna get that record. Y'know, that thing we need if we wanna get our asses outta here anytime soon."

Silence followed this statement.

Fuyuhiko sighed. "Look, you can even sit next to me if you want," he offered. "I'll just make sure you don't fall out the cart or some shit."

"...how did you know that that was exactly what I'm afraid of?"

* * *

Fuyuhiko's first rollercoaster ride was not as thrilling or exciting as he was hoping it'd be.

Almost the entire time the cart travelled up and down the frankly nauseating track, Kazuichi had his arm in a death-grip with both of his large hands, almost crushing Fuyuhiko's bones, and Fuyuhiko had barely managed to save his beanie from flying away. Though Fuyuhiko was wise enough to not sit next to the heavy-weight Nekomaru, sitting beside the considerably lighter - but deathly-afraid - Kazuichi was not much better, and he almost felt squashed and constrained in his seat. His ears felt as though they were going to burst from Kazuichi's loud screaming - this was not helpful in the slightest.

By the time the ride was finally over, Kazuichi had immediately rushed to the nearest rubbish bin and ejected the contents of his stomach - his breakfast - directly into it. As promised, Monokuma had cheerfully handed them the book of records that contained information about the Future Foundation. They'd discovered that back at Hope's Peak Academy - the very school they had all been enrolled in, and apparently spent two of their years at - a killing game that was incredibly similar to what they were going through had occurred. What's more, Byakuya Togami, who had been among them until his untimely death to Teruteru, was a participant in the "School Life of Mutual Killing", as the book called it. Fuyuhiko was horrified that such a thing had happened - were there other Killing games going on around the globe? Were the students of Hope's Peak Academy getting abducted in groups and being made to kill each other? It seemed like such a large-scale occurrence that he'd suspect the Kuzuryuu Clan was responsible for it all, if it weren't for the fact that he was involved in such a killing game himself.

Monokuma was now promising them another object that would assist their escape from Jabberwock Island if they all went into the Funhouse together. The Funhouse appeared to be much more foreboding than the castle did, and this time Kazuichi was definitely spooked at the idea of entering it. Fortunately, he eventually agreed to get on the small train that would take them inside.

The train chugged along quite slowly, and Fuyuhiko grunted impatiently, wishing it would go at least a little faster. Kazuichi was sitting stiffly beside him, and he wanted to get things over with, as dealing with a spooked Kazuichi was frankly rather annoying. With an elbow on the side of the train and a hand on his chin, Fuyuhiko stared out at the landscape of the fourth island slowly moving past them. It was… oddly comfortable here. He found himself captured by the beauty of the island and all that it contained, the shiny paint that coated the rides illuminated by the bright blue sky-

Something heavy landed on his lap, and with an annoyed grumble, he turned around to find that Kazuichi had managed to fall asleep on him. With his eyes closed and his mouth lying open mid-yawn, his head lay on Fuyuhiko's lap, a serene expression dominating his features.

As his cheeks flared in embarrassment, Fuyuhiko made an attempt to push the sleeping Kazuichi off of him, an unspoken "what the fuck, get up!" stuck in his throat, but his body didn't seem to feel like moving at that moment. He had barely managed to look up and realise that the train was covered in fog, and that the rest of his companions were either unconscious, or drowsily fumbling their way around the train.

 _The fuck's goin' on here!?_

That was his last thought, before the effects of the fog consumed him, and he slumped down to the side over Kazuichi's sleeping form.


	12. Chapter 12: The Outstretched Hand

_I didn't revise any of the earlier chapters like I planned, but I did post the prologue awhile back! Check it out on the Chapter 1 upload if you haven't already!_

 _Starting from this chapter onwards, certain events in the canonical story will be altered, moved to another place in the timeline or removed altogether so that the story I'm trying to tell can run its course. For example, although in canon Fuyuhiko's talk with Akane takes place at this point, it will instead occur in the next chapter because in this chapter, it's Kazuichi's turn to have some focus._

 _Enjoy_!

* * *

 **Chapter 12: The Outstretched Hand**

"Oi."

Kazuichi groaned quietly as he slowly blinked, willing his eyes to open. He saw a blurred amalgamation of bright pink, and someone was kneeling down in front of him. They appeared to have some kind of… eyepatch, on one of their eyes.

"Hey, can you hear me? Kazuichi. Get up."

The harsh voice speaking to him became much clearer now, as did the face it belonged to. On top of that, he could now feel a pair of small hands roughly handling his shoulders.

"Mmph… the hell happened?" he murmured as he slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Last I remember we were on some kind of- wait a sec…"

"Yeah." Fuyuhiko gritted his teeth. "I have no idea what the fuck this place is, but one thing's for certain - we fell for Monokuma's bullshit again."

"Oh, come on!" Kazuichi groaned. He shakily rose to his feet and looked around at his surroundings. The entire area - the walls, the floor, the ceiling, even the pieces of playground equipment - was simply an alarming shade of pink. The only other aspect of it all was the large white strawberry cutouts that floated up and down the surfaces of the area. The rest of the surviving students were in this area as well, consious and seemingly as dazed and confused as Kazuichi was at that moment.

"You're kiddin' me," Akane sighed. "I knew we shouldn't have agreed to this…"

"Where're the exits?" Hajime wondered aloud. "And did we really need to be unconscious?"

"Keeping you punks awake would've sucked out all the fun of the Funhouse!" a voice loudly claimed. Everyone groaned as Monokuma bounded into the room, an excited yet deadly grin baring his sharp teeth. "After all, the Funhouse is the perfect site for our newest motive, dontcha think?"

"Seriously!?" Kazuichi exclaimed, his palms sweating. "A-another motive… already!?"

Monokuma chuckled. "That's right! We gotta keep the murders coming, after all! This story can't consist entirely of romantic comedy hijinks, never mind the fact that those are indeed fun to watch! Especially that scene of you sleeping on each other on the train, Fuyuhiko, Kazuichi."

"Wh-what!?" Kazuichi's eyes widened in shock, and a blush erupted across his cheeks. "I… I don't remember that! All I remember was that weird-ass fog that got onto the train!"

"You fell unconscious with your head on my lap," Fuyuhiko stated primly, turning away from Kazuichi. "Don't remember ever going to sleep on you, though…"

Sonia had her hands clasped together and her eyes shining with an unexpected interest in the discussion. "This sounds like a scene directly out of a particular Japanese animation genre that was popular back in Novoselic!" she gushed. "I believe it was called "boys' love", or something along those lines. It is very highly regarded among young females in my kingdom."

"And what the hell're you gettin' at?" Fuyuhiko snapped. "You suggestin' Kazuichi and I are gay or somethin'?"

"Well, not exactly…" Sonia giggled a little nervously.

Kazuichi could instantly feel his palms begin sweating at this notion. He tightly clenched his fists and glared intensely at Fuyuhiko. "Don't you dare talk to Miss Sonia like that!" he snarled. "As a princess, she deserves utmost respect!"

"Easy for you to say," Fuyuhiko muttered. "'Sides, you seem to be missin' the fact that we were just likened to yaoi anime."

"Oh dear," said Monokuma as he placed a paw to his head. "Looks like we got a little sidetracked here. How about we save the unresolved sexual tension for another time?"

"You're assumin' I'm even interested in-"

"I said, be quiet!" Monokuma growled as he raised his paws, where sharp claws gleaned from each of his fingertips. "Or I'll have to punish you! Geez, they were right when they said being a teacher was hard work…"

He then handed everyone a map, which displayed the layout of Strawberry House, as the area they currently occupied was called. He explained the three floors of the area - it appeared that they were now on the third floor, which was supposedly a mere indoor playground that Kazuichi was almost certain that no one would hold any interest in. He then informed the students of the latest motive that was to take place in the Funhouse: an escape game. They would have to escape the Funhouse at the cost of two more lives - that of the blackened and their victim. Much as he wanted to go home, Kazuichi was beginning to wonder if spending the rest of his life in the Funhouse with his surviving classmates would be a suitable alternative. As long as nobody else died…

"So it looks like we'll need to explore this place," Chiaki observed after Monokuma had disappeared. "It would probably be ideal if we all split up, though. Strawberry House could be a small space, after all."

"Sounds like a good idea," Hajime agreed.

"Well, in that case, I'll be taking this opportunity to go with Miss Sonia-"

"She already left with Gundam," Fuyuhiko pointed out. "'Sides, I was hopin' you'd come with me."

"Ugh… I'm seriously gonna kill that hamster boy the first chance I get!" Kazuichi groaned.

"We'd be outta here pretty quickly if you do," Fuyuhiko muttered sarcastically. "I'd at the very least like to see what this shithole has to offer first."

"So let's go then."

The two of them waved goodbye to the remaining students - Hajime, Chiaki, Nekomaru, Nagito and Akane - and began to descend the stairs that led them down to the second floor of Strawberry House. Kazuichi considered removing his contacts, as although he couldn't actually see pink as a result of them, it felt as though he was, and the bright shades of magenta that were assaulting his vision were quickly causing the return of his nausea from the rollercoaster ride. He decided not to, on the grounds that he didn't want to be caught dead wearing glasses - and even if he did, he'd left them at his cottage.

Just as they were about to enter the second floor, Fuyuhiko stopped, leaning against the rail of the staircase with a thoughtful look in his eye. Noticing this, Kazuichi paused as well and glanced at him curiously. "Somethin' the matter?"

Fuyuhiko grunted quietly. "Just thinkin' about what Sonia told me the other night," he admitted.

"Don't tell me she-"

"Shuddap! I can explain." Fuyuhiko took a deep breath, before he continued, somewhat hesitantly. "Y'know how she sent Hiyoko to the music venue to use the mirrors there to help her with her kimono, right?"

Kazuichi nodded. What was he getting at?

"Sonia was… well, I s'pose you can say that she and Hiyoko got pretty close. Y'know, as friends. Surely you noticed how she'd go into her room all the time back in that motel?"

Kazuichi slowly nodded. Come to think of it, Sonia did spend quite awhile in that room whenever she'd delivered a meal to Hiyoko. He hadn't thought much of it because Hiyoko was also female and therefore none of his concern as far as Sonia's heart went, but… he could see how Hiyoko would've thought Sonia was the ideal confidant as opposed to him.

"Anyway, the reason why Sonia came over to my cottage last night is because… she wanted to deliver a message from Hiyoko to me. It was somethin' Hiyoko had been wantin' to say to me after the whole Despair Disease bullshit was over and done with, but…"

Glumly, Kazuichi nodded again. Whatever it was that Hiyoko had wanted to say to Fuyuhiko, she never had the chance to tell him, on account of her life being stolen from her before she could. He glanced up at the blindingly-pink ceiling of the Funhouse, thinking of what lay beyond, of the place Hiyoko probably resided right this moment. Would she be happier, if only a little, that Sonia had delivered her message for her? Was Sonia doing her a favour?

Fuyuhiko sighed wistfully. "She wanted me to know that she… was sorry, for misunderstandin' me," he confessed. "She wanted to try to make it up to me somehow. She was even hopin' I could be friends with her."

Kazuichi gasped, surprised. He knew that Hiyoko had been slowly opening up to everyone else, but… she wanted to be friends with Fuyuhiko? He hadn't seen that one coming. "Oh man… that's rough," he said.

Fuyuhiko nodded. "I was surprised too," he said. "I hadn't expected her to feel that way at all. And now…" He sighed again. "We'd better hurry up and get down there before I start wonderin' what it'd have been like if she'd survived."

Kazuichi nodded understandingly, and they descended the stairs at last.

The living area on the second floor was surprisingly homely, despite the fact that the furniture that resided there, just like the playground equipment upstairs, was pink. Two large loveseats sat adjacent from each other, and in the space between them was a small stand. The most eye-catching object to be found in the living area was the small telephone on the stand. It was easy to mistake it for a rotary telephone at first glance, but it bore one rather unusual characteristic: the bright green image of a bunch of grapes in the centre of the white circle on the base of the telephone.

 _Finally!_ Kazuichi thought with a sigh of relief. _A different colour!_

It was a small comfort to find that something in Strawberry House - aside from the features of himself and the other students - had stood out from the endless masses of pink inside the building. Perhaps Kazuichi didn't need those glasses after all.

"Better not get too used to that," Fuyuhiko commented, as though he were reading Kazuichi's mind. "Pretty sure almost every fuckin' thing in this place is pink."

"You got that right."

They turned the other way towards the small hallway where the rooms were kept. There were only 6 rooms in total, laid out in two rows, with 3 rooms occupying each row. Monokuma had told them that each room in each row had a different quality standard - there were the two rooms that were of the highest quality possible (fit for a princess, Kazuichi thought), two rooms of average quality, and two rooms of poor quality. The higher-quality rooms had thicker walls, allowing little to no outside noise to be heard from within the rooms.

"From what I understand, we're gonna be sleepin' here, right?" said Kazuichi. "But there are only six rooms, and there are nine of us… does that mean some of us have to share a room?"

"Looks like it," Fuyuhiko replied. "And no, you're not gonna sleep in Sonia's room."

"How did you know that I was-"

"You're pathetically easy to read. It's all Sonia this, Sonia that with you."

"There's more to me than that!"

Fuyuhiko smirked - a surefire sign that he was teasing - and Kazuichi groaned in an exaggerated manner. "If we do need to share rooms, you're roomin' with me," he stated firmly. "Someone's gotta keep an eye on ya and make sure you're not gettin' too close to Sonia for her comfort."

"I'm sure you'll do a great job," Kazuichi drawled sarcastically.

"Yeah, go ahead and mock my babysittin' abilities, that'll seriously end well."

"B-babysittin'!?"

"Oh, and speakin' of which, we need to go down to the first floor, don't we? Gee, I wonder what we'll find there, lil' Kazu."

"I- what the fuck did you just call me?"

That annoying smirk was still present on Fuyuhiko's face, though this time around his cheeks seemed a little redder than usual, and Kazuichi didn't remember having ever slapped him. Not that doing so to the Ultimate Yakuza was ever a great idea to begin with. "I-I said, let's go downstairs."

"That's better. Not so condencendin' like the first time around."

Fuyuhiko scowled and huffed off, leaving Kazuichi no choice but to follow him.

They were down on the first floor of Strawberry House before they knew it, and indeed, as Monokuma had stated to them, the first floor had two distinguishing features. Across from the staircase, on the other side of the room, was a large set of double doors that Kazuichi was certain led to the Final Dead Room - possibly their only non-lethal means of escaping. From what Kazuichi had heard, it involved a game of Russian Roulette, and much as he wanted to convince himself otherwise, he didn't have the strength or courage to hold a gun to his head and pull the trigger unless it only had one bullet - or better yet, none. Adjacent to the Final Dead Room was a large opening that led into Strawberry Hall.

"You're not gonna enter the Final Dead Room, are you?" Kazuichi inquired as Fuyuhiko carefully surveyed the surrounding area.

"Whaddaya think?" Fuyuhiko shot back.

"Well, you would because you're a fearless Yakuza, ain't you?"

Fuyuhiko froze. "I-it doesn't quite work like that," he said stiffly.

"Whaddaya-"

"Anyway, yeah, I would. But only if the situation seriously called for it. That is, if we were literally about to die because Monokuma's a sadistic bastard or somethin'."

"I-I see…"

"Haven't I told you before? Sacrifice is a normal way of livin' if you're a Yakuza. If members of your clan are at risk of dyin', and the only way to save 'em is to lay down yer own, you gotta do it. No matter what."

Kazuichi swallowed. He knew that that was how things worked in the Yakuza, but he'd been trying his hardest to blissfully forget about it. Sacrifice… if Peko had been so valiant to pull that off - even if she had no choice in the matter - then Fuyuhiko could very easily do the same thing. Especially now that he'd found someone who could truly call a friend. He shuddered as he pictured the gruesome sight of Fuyuhiko's corpse in the Final Dead Room, his head cracked open and a gun lying beside him. Not only was Fuyuhiko brave enough to accept his life being stolen away from him for the sake of his own, but…

"Don't die," Kazuichi blurted out, blinking away the tears that were clouding his vision. "Please. If you sacrifice yourself, I'm gonna…!"

"I'll do my best to make sure no one else dies," Fuyuhiko assured him. "But I can't promise anything."

Kazuichi nodded. This was the best answer he could possibly get at the moment. He had a sinking feeling that someone else was going to be killed while they were trapped in this Funhouse, and he didn't know who it was going to be, but he knew he was going to have to get accustomed to it. As long as it wasn't Fuyuhiko. As long as it wasn't…

"My Soul Friend," he whispered, staring down at his feet.

"'Scuse me?"

"You…" Kazuichi cleared his throat. "W-we're Soul Friends now!" he exclaimed, more enthusiastically this time around, even if he didn't feel quite as pumped-up as he sounded. "That means that you're my best friend ever! I-it's a title I don't give out very often."

He almost laughed at the dumbfounded look on Fuyuhiko's face. His eyebrows were raised in shock, and his single eye was wide open like a cyclops deer in the headlights. His cheeks were a bright shade of red, and he was biting his lip nervously, as though he were unsure of what to say.

"Th-the hell's this weird shit you're spoutin' now?" Fuyuhiko spluttered. "I mean… I'm not against being your best friend, but… weren't you miserable just a minute ago?"

"I'm fine now, really!" Kazuichi insisted. "I just…"

Fuyuhiko sighed. "You were scared again, were you?" he tentatively asked.

Kazuichi slowly nodded.

Fuyuhiko reached up to place a hand on his shoulder, glancing upwards at the taller male. He closed his single eye and took a deep breath. "Tell ya what," he said, "I'm still a little scared too."

Kazuichi's eyes widened in shock. "But you're a Yakuza-"

"I know," Fuyuhiko snapped. "It's stupid. It's unthinkable. And I wish it wasn't fuckin' true. But… I'm different from the rest of the Kuzuryuu Clan. And the big guys made a point to remind me every fuckin' chance they could. And-" He quickly glanced around the room, just in time to see Chiaki and Nagito descend the stairs down to the first floor together. He momentarily stood on the tips of his toes and hissed in Kazuichi's ear, "I'll tell you more later. Tell anyone what I told you and you'll be mince meat."

Kazuichi found himself with no choice but to nod, dazed, as Chiaki and Nagito approached them and the rest of the students appeared shortly afterwards. There was still a lot about Fuyuhiko he didn't know much about, he realised. But perhaps the Ultimate Mechanic and the Ultimate Yakuza weren't so different after all.


	13. Chapter 13: The Unspoken Confession

**Chapter 13: The Unspoken Confession**

 _"He's a fuckin' weaklin'! What makes you think he'd be a suitable heir!?"_

 _"At this rate he'll probably never even go through puberty!"_

 _"How can anyone take him seriously when he's so short?"_

 _Fuyuhiko, at fourteen years old, sensed his blood running cold as he peered into the living room of the Kuzuryuu mansion, where his uncles, grandfathers, elder cousins and other male relatives were gathered around the coffee table on the soft plush couches surrounding the room. There was only one Kuzuryuu they could be talking about at that moment._

 _"Tch… y'know he's a shitty heir when his sister would make a far stronger heir than he ever would," his uncle Takao commented as he held a cigarette to his lips and took a drag._

 _"Well, she is the second comin' of Osamu," his cousin Satoshi piped up. "That alone makes her a better candidate than anyone else, doesn't it?"_

 _"That's true," said Uncle Takao. "I just find it a little ridiculous that that fuckin' shortie's bein' outdone by a girl. Such a weaklin'... he doesn't even deserve the Kuzuryuu name! Anyone who has to lean on someone else can get the fuck out!"_

 _"Hey bro, that's a little harsh…" said Fuyuhiko's father._

 _Fuyuhiko swallowed the lump rising in his throat as the conversation continued. He knew it. He knew he didn't deserve to be the heir of the Kuzuryuu Clan. Even after he'd been given the position, his kin were still disgusted by the choice. Even after years of training, Fuyuhiko lacked the masculine, stocky build that even his younger cousins had; his limbs were rather skinny, and his shoulders were pathetically tiny. His sister had always been taller than him, and unless he gained a sudden growth spurt - which he held out for - he was never going to catch up to her._

 _"Young Master…" Peko stood beside him, her eyes narrowed in concern and her lips curled into a sympathetic frown. "We do not need to listen to any more of these unkindly words."_

 _"Y-yeah…" Fuyuhiko agreed, despite the fact that his feet were now planted to the ground. Much as he wanted to go away, he had a powerful instinct to remain where he was and allow the Kuzuryuu Clan's jibes to sink in. They were right, weren't they? Years of rigorous training weren't enough to harden him to a satisfactory degree in either the physical or psychological sense. He'd always be the runt of the litter, and he'd always be a stain to the Kuzuryuu Clan's honour._

 _Peko grabbed hold of his hand and dragged him away herself, and he was forced to stumble after her upstairs and into his bedroom. She closed the door behind her and sat herself down on Fuyuhiko's desk chair. Fuyuhiko sat on the edge of his futon, adjacent to her._

 _"Young Master," she spoke again, her eyes focused on his. "Are you okay?"_

 _Fuyuhiko's tongue felt as though it were coated in sandpaper. Peko was one of the two people in the mansion he knew he could expose his more vulnerable side to without receiving any judgement in return - but now, he found himself at a loss on what to say to her. Should he even say anything at all? Did he even need her anymore? Was now a good time to give her up, like a toddler throwing away his pacifier? He couldn't keep her around forever. He needed to stand up for himself, without her assistance, if he wanted to be taken seriously, if he wanted to be strong…_

 _"If you wish for me to back off for awhile, I will gladly do so," Peko added, as though she were reading his mind._

 _And Fuyuhiko knew exactly what to say - "Fuck off! You're fired! I don't need you anymore!" - but the words were trapped in his throat, and he gritted his teeth, annoyed with himself. He couldn't do that to her. He'd hurt her feelings, and that was something he'd privately vowed to never do in his lifetime._

 _Instead, he simply burst into tears, and Peko rushed to his side, pulling him into a tight embrace. As the sobs wracked his small body, he cursed himself for being so overly reliant on the most meaningful person in his life._

 _He cursed himself for being so weak._

* * *

"Fuck!"

Fuyuhiko slapped himself back into the present. His heart was pounding, as though it yearned to escape his ribcage, and his single eye was moist with tears. His injured eye stung intensely. Even the arm of the pink loveseat he'd been resting on was slightly wet as a result of his tears.

 _Right. Deep breaths, Fuyuhiko. Deep breaths._

The surrounding area, drenched in pink, was not exactly the ideal environment to calm his nerves, especially now that he knew he and the other students were trapped in the Funhouse as part of an escape game. They'd even been deprived of food until a murder was set to occur. Fuyuhiko had checked his pockets for his emergency rations of sweets, knowing that Kazuichi had emptied his stomach after the rollercoaster ride, but he was disappointed yet unsurprised to find that the lollies were gone. Not that they would've made much of a difference anyway.

After a few moments, his tears had dried, his injured eye wasn't hurting so much, and his heart had returned to beating at a regular pace. He was in a public area. He couldn't be seen crying again. Crying was a weakness that strong Yakuza never partook in. He needed to quell the habit altogether, no matter the cost.

According to the clock beside him, it was eight past four in the afternoon. Fuyuhiko groaned at this discovery, having expected it to be much later, perhaps sometime in the evening. His stomach growled in protest as a reminder that he hadn't eaten in hours, and he knew that he'd have to get used to that noise.

After they'd discovered the other half of the Funhouse - Grape House, which, for all intents and purposes, was Strawberry House's green, grape-themed twin - the students had settled on sleeping arrangements. Hajime and the girls were sleeping over at Grape House, while Fuyuhiko, Kazuichi, Gundam, Nekomaru and Nagito slept at Strawberry House. Both Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi were assigned separate crummy rooms; Nagito, as a result of his luck, was able to sleep in one of the deluxe rooms. The two good rooms were occupied by Gundam and Nekomaru.

 _Starvin' to death, huh… yeah, sounds like fun to me._

"Hey, you doin' okay over there?"

Fuyuhiko glanced up to face whoever was addressing him, pulling his bitter thoughts to a halt. Leaning against a nearby wall was Akane, tapping her foot restlessly and seemingly already deep into her food withdrawal.

"I'm fine," Fuyuhiko replied as he leaned back into his seat.

"Ya sure 'bout that?" Akane persisted. "You're lookin' a little rattled."

"Mmm. Just tired, is all."

Akane approached the other loveseat present in the living area and sat on it. She propped an elbow on one of the armrests, holding her cheek in her palm as she turned towards Fuyuhiko, a look of concern present in her eyes. "You've been through a lot lately, haven't you?" she said. "Don't get me wrong, we all have, but man… life ain't been kind to ya lately, huh?"

Fuyuhiko shrugged. "Guess you could say things're gettin' better for me," he said.

"Oh yeah?" Akane raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

Fuyuhiko hesitated. The memory of the ostracization he'd faced in his own clan, coupled with his raw regret for what he'd done to Peko, was still fresh on his mind like a newly-opened wound. He hadn't been able to talk about it much at all, he realised - and now he felt as though he were about to break down again. And in front of one of his classmates, too…

"We can go to your room or somethin' if you want," Akane went on, her voice quieter and gentler now. "To be honest, I kinda wanna talk about some things with someone too."

"...fine." Fuyuhiko shakily rose to his feet, holding on to the armrest of his chair for support. Akane was still casting a worried glance towards him, but she didn't say a thing as she, too, stood up. Fuyuhiko, whose legs had ceased quivering by then, led her towards the crummy room he'd been designated. The two of them stepped inside, closing the door behind them.

The room was very minimal, moreso than any of their cottages were. The only furniture to be found within was a small single bed, included with a pillow and comforter made out of a pink, scratchy, fragile material. Additionally, the room was incredibly small, although this was probably necessary given its lack of furniture. It's only saving grace was the fact that it was a little darker than the rest of Strawberry House, and the shades of pink within it were much more subdued. Kazuichi seemed to be pleased about this, if the fact that he'd spent almost the entire afternoon in his room was any indication, though Fuyuhiko had a sinking feeling that there was another reason for his isolation. He made a mental note to check on him later.

"Fuckin' hell, Monokuma wasn't kiddin' when he said these rooms were crummy," Fuyuhiko muttered as he carefully sat on the bed.

"There're worse places to sleep," said Akane as she took a seat beside him. "At least this room has a _bed._ "

"Yeah, a really crappy one."

Following this exchange, there was silence. Fuyuhiko could easily make out someone's footsteps out in the hallway, and then a door opening and closing next door shortly afterwards. He immediately figured that it was Nekomaru having entered his room.

"I've been havin' a confusin' mix of emotions for the past day or two," Akane finally confessed. "I can't even remember anythin' that happened from the night Nekomaru got hurt to the investigation, but Hajime helped bring me up to speed."

"Those days were a nightmare," said Fuyuhiko.

"Sure sounds like it," Akane agreed. "But to me, it all just… feels like it's goin' too fast. One moment Nekomaru's on the brink of death, the next he's a robot… man, that night Monokuma attacked him, I couldn't even sleep. I was tossin' and turnin' in bed, constantly worryin' about him. I even ate an entire bag of potato chips I'd bought from Rocketpunch Market earlier that day, and they didn't help me at all… I dunno, it's just that I haven't felt so… strongly about anyone before. I'm so glad that Nekomaru's okay, but… what if I lose him for real? What if I wake up one mornin', and…" Akane trailed off, staring at the floor.

"...and why're you tellin' me this, exactly?" Fuyuhiko asked.

"Well, I mean, you can relate, right? You have someone you feel like this about too, right?"

Almost instantly, he thought of Peko, and the emotional torment he'd faced following her death.

"...yeah," he said. What else could he say, though? Peko was dead, and everyone knew that. He was never going to see her again. She wasn't going to return to him as a robot like Nekomaru had done with Akane. She was gone, indefinitely, and he had to deal with it.

The next thing he knew, Akane was smiling gently at him. "It's Karl, ain't it?"

"Who?"

"Y'know, the mechanic dude you always hang around with."

"You mean Kazuichi," he groaned. "'Sides, it ain't him. I mean… he's a great friend. Probably my closest friend now. But I think…" He paused for a moment. "I think Peko still means a lot more to me."

"Oh." Akane moved to place a comforting hand on Fuyuhiko's shoulder. "Right, yeah… you and Peko were real tight, weren't you?"

Fuyuhiko nodded. "She… she means a lot to me. I don't think she's ever even realised it, but fuck… she…" He paused again and swallowed. "She was always by my side, ready to support me whenever she could. I… I think I depended on her way more than I should've, but despite that… she wasn't just a tool to me. She was way more than that." He smiled sadly at Akane. "She was like a sister to me."

"A sister, huh… I'll be honest, I thought there was somethin' more goin' on between you two."

Fuyuhiko shook his head. "Nothin' like that. Well, not on my side, anyway."

He had once considered his feelings for Peko, however, and wondered if they were of the romantic sort. He had spent much more time with her than with his actual sister, Natsumi, and given the role she served in the Kuzuryuu Clan, he had formed a much deeper bond with her than anyone else had anticipated, to the point where he was, indeed, shunned by the other Kuzuryuus due to his dependence on her. He had, however, eventually arrived at the conclusion that no, he was not in love with Peko, and he never had been. He had no desire to engage in any intimacy with her beyond the occasional hug and forehead kiss, and he never thought of her as beautiful or attractive in the same way Kazuichi thought so of Sonia (though he had to admit, she was quite pretty). There was nothing wrong with Peko herself - she was the most important person in his entire life, after all - but there was just something about their upbringing together and her role in the Kuzuryuu Clan that caused his feelings for her to remain strongly platonic.

"I see." Akane cupped her chin in her hands with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"Somethin' the matter?" said Fuyuhiko.

"Well, speakin' of close relationships… I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"It's somethin' I've been wonderin' about for awhile, actually."

"Go on."

Akane straightened her posture as she placed her hands down onto the bed beside her. "Does love make you weak?"

Fuyuhiko raised an eyebrow in interest. "Whaddaya mean? Like, romantic love, or…"

"Yeah, romantic love."

Fuyuhiko's mind turned up blank. With only Peko and Natsumi - and now Kazuichi - to call his best friends throughout his entire life, he'd never really experienced any kind of romantic attraction. He'd been far too busy pushing other people away to develop any sort of crush or infatuation with them. It was a feeling he'd heard a lot about, especially from Kazuichi, but never experienced himself.

"Can't tell you," he thus replied to Akane. "Never experienced this kinda stuff."

"Fair 'nuff," said Akane. "If I had to wager a guess, though, I s'pose it wouldn't. I mean, I used to think that bein' strong meant independence and bein' able to stand on your own two feet, and never havin' to lean on anyone else. That's how I lived my whole life. It was tough, yeah, but with the strength and dedication I had, I worked through it. Dependin' on others was just an easy way out, to me.

"But then we all got plonked on this island, and I started gettin' real tight with Nekomaru and Hajime. And I quickly learned that in this killin' game, bein' independent only made you look more suspicious. It makes people lose their trust in you, y'know?"

Fuyuhiko, having learned that the hard way, nodded. "Bein' so closed off from you guys caused more trouble than it was worth," he admitted.

"Exactly. And y'know what else I learned?"

"What?"

"Gettin' on with the right folks actually gives you more strength than before." Akane grinned confidently. "If it weren't for Nekomaru and Hajime… I woulda lost my way and given up on this trip a long time ago. But with friends like them by my side… I just feel like everythin's gonna be okay. Like we'll eventually be able to escape, without anyone else gettin' hurt. And honestly, this whole thing just seems more… bearable, more worth goin' through, if I know that I'm doin' it for my friends." Her stomach growled at that moment. "'Cept that now we have no food," she laughed.

"So that's why Nekomaru's so important to you," Fuyuhiko mused.

"Well… I think there's a little more to it than that," said Akane. "I did ask if romantic love was a sign of weakness, didn't I?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So…" Akane hesitated. She anxiously bit her lip, as though fearful of judgement in response to what she was going to say. She took a deep breath, lowering her voice as she spoke. "I've been thinkin', yeah. And I think… I think I'm in love with Nekomaru."

Fuyuhiko didn't know how to respond to that. It wasn't that he was against the notion of Akane crushing on her closest friend on the island; besides, she expressed it in a much more subtle, more sensible manner than Kazuichi did. But given his own lack of experience with romance, he couldn't think of anything to say that would benefit her in any way.

"Well… good luck with that," he eventually settled on. "I mean, it's gonna be hard, maybe now isn't a good time to pursue romance at all, but-"

"I understand," Akane interrupted. "But here's the thing. Y'know what Nekomaru once told me? He said that, if you're in a dire situation - like this killin' game - and there's no easy way out of it, you gotta do what you can to keep yourself happy in the meantime. Sittin' around worryin' about the possible outcomes won't do you any good. You always gotta get the most outta your life, because it could end at any moment." She was smiling fondly at these words, as though they'd personally touched her. "And so, as soon as possible, I'm gonna tell him exactly how I feel. I can't rest until I tell him. I don't care if he doesn't feel the same way, I just want him to know."

"I… I see," said Fuyuhiko. "I… guess he's right. You don't know how important somethin' is to you until it's gone, don't you?"

"Yeah," Akane agreed. "And it wasn't 'til that night of the party that it all came to me, and I realised exactly how much he means to me."

Fuyuhiko found himself tearing up again. He'd never given much thought to just how lucky Akane was - but now, he truly envied her. "There are still a lot of things I wish I could've said to… to Peko, before she…"

"So that sayin' rings true for you too, huh?"

Fuyuhiko nodded as he blinked his tears away. "I never thought I would lose her," he admitted. "Not even in this killin' game. So, I just wanna say… treat every moment with Nekomaru like it's your last. Tell him everythin' you've wanted to say to him, do everythin' you wanna do with him. Even if you almost lost him once… he might lose you, one day." He barely even noticed the single tear rolling down his cheek as he smiled sadly at Akane. "My biggest regret is never having told Peko that she's like a sister to me," he said. "So please… don't you make that mistake too."

Akane nodded. "You oughta do the same with Kazuichi too," she said. "I dunno exactly how close you two are, but… he could die, too, one day. Keep hangin' out with him as much as you can. Maybe encourage him to confess to Sonia. I think he'd appreciate that."

Fuyuhiko could make out the knots in his stomach forming at the mention of Sonia, but nonetheless, he nodded. "Thanks," he said. "All this… it helped me out a lot. More than I thought it would."

"And thank you for listenin' to me," said Akane as she rose to her feet. "I've been dyin' to get that off my chest."

"'S no problem."

Akane walked over to the door and curled a hand around around the handle. "Feel free to come see me if you need anythin'," she offered with a smile. "I can't provide any food at this time, but I'm more than happy to lend an ear."

"Thank you," Fuyuhiko said once again, smiling back at her. "Good luck with that thing with Nekomaru, by the way."

"Thanks. I'll keep you posted." Akane opened the door and stepped out, back in the hallway. "Seeya 'round!" She closed the door behind her, and Fuyuhiko heard her quick footsteps becoming quieter by the second, until they disappeared entirely.

Fuyuhiko wondered if Kazuichi had left his room yet - probably not, for he hadn't heard the door to his room opening or closing. Nonetheless, he figured it would be a good idea to check up on him. Maybe they could just… Fuyuhiko didn't know how he could spend time with Kazuichi. Either way, he'd have to get out of that room for awhile.

He thus, after leaving his room, strode straight ahead to the one directly adjacent and loudly rapped at the door.

No response.

He knocked again. He could barely make out a noise coming from within that sounded like a sniffle. Now concerned, he slowly pushed the door open.

Sure enough, Kazuichi was inside, curled up in a corner of the room in the fetal position. Fuyuhiko could now hear his quiet sobs, and see his body shivering slightly.

"...Kazuichi?"


	14. Chapter 14: The Flower From Hell

_The title of this chapter is a reference to something. I wonder if anyone will get it...?_

 _Stick around 'til the very end of this chapter for some trivia in relation to it!_

* * *

 **Chapter 14: The Flower From Hell**

 _The hallways were hopelessly crowded. Everyone was in a rush to go home after having sat through another tedious day at school. Books were crammed into lockers, locker doors slammed shut, a chorus of voices filled the narrow hallway. Despite being one of the smallest, thinnest boys in his entire grade, Kazuichi was finding it a major challenge to weave through the crowd of students._

 _He wasn't going to his own locker, though. He was heading toward Shizuka Amane, who was standing by her locker, carefully placing her books inside. Shizuka was far from the most popular girl in his grade, but she was well-liked. She was a quiet, studious girl who was also quite friendly, and had a small group of close friends to call her own. She wanted to be an inventor when she was older, as she had a keen interest in how things worked and how she could create a revolutionary project herself. Kazuichi yearned to discuss her ideas with her, but as it turned out, talking to girls was a far greater challenge than talking to other boys._

 _She was quite pretty, too, Kazuichi noticed, staring at her dark locks in awe as she stood on her tiptoes, reaching to her locker high up. Definitely cute._

 _He was almost there. Just a few steps closer, and he'd be at her feet, telling her the truth of his feelings. He'd rehearsed the exact words he was going to say and even practised in front of his mirror the previous night, after his father's bicycle shop had closed. There was no way he could fail this, and there was no way she'd have any doubts about him._

 _The path had cleared a little as a small collective of students departed from the hallway. By then, Shizuka had her bag in her hand, her locker closed behind her and her back turned to Kazuichi as she began to walk away. Desperately, Kazuichi quickened his stride._

 _He hadn't noticed the extended foot in his path until it was too late._

 _Kazuichi tripped, and he cried out as he dove straight forward, directly onto Shizuka, and as a result of his weight, she tumbled down to the ground with him. His eyes widened in horror behind his glasses as he slowly processed what had just happened, his cheeks burning in embarrassment and humiliation. He dared to glance up at the mass of students who'd paused, currently staring at the scene laid out before them. A few of the girls quietly tittered behind their hands, and most of the boys were laughing loudly - including the large, burly delinquent who'd tripped him._

 _He immediately scrambled off of Shizuka, whose eyes were now narrowed in an intense glare towards him as she rose to her feet and dusted off her school uniform. She scurried away from the scene, leaving Kazuichi the sole centre of attention. He contemplated running after her, but he was almost certain that she wanted nothing to do with him at that point._

 _"Yeah, that's a brilliant way to impress a girl right there," one boy sarcastically crowed as he clutched his sides, still laughing along with his friends._

 _"There's no way he'll get a girlfriend to begin with," another boy, whose voice was so deep that Kazuichi thought he'd been held back several grades, pointed out._

 _"Yeah, who'd wanna go out with him of all people?" said the delinquent who'd tripped him. "He can't even woo that nerdy bitch Shizuka, let alone some princess from a country no one's ever heard of!"_

 _"You never know, he could be gay. I mean, have you seen the way he's cryin' all the time?"_

 _"Hell, he's cryin' right now! Don'tcha see the way he's tearin' up?"_

 _That was enough. He didn't want to hear any more. He didn't want to continue facing this torment he'd been experiencing for so long. And yet, he knew that his bullies could very well be right. But one day, he knew, he was going to get a beautiful girlfriend. One day, he was going to be someone admired, yet feared._

 _One day, he was going to be stronger._

* * *

"...Kazuichi?"

The quiet, concerned voice had yanked Kazuichi right out of the horrible memory, as though someone had shaken him awake while he'd been having a nightmare. Until then, he'd failed to notice the way his body had trembled like a leaf, and just how loudly he'd been sobbing. The worst thing was that someone had just walked in on him in this sorry state, and there was no way he could pretend everything was fine as he'd been so accustomed to doing. He thus settled on remaining still and silent, hoping the intruder would simply leave.

He was disappointed, however, when he heard the sound of his door closing and soft footsteps making their way towards him. A small hand was placed on his shoulder. "Wanna talk about it?"

He hesitated. Knowing who'd stopped by to comfort him made him feel relieved, confused and horrified all at once. He was his Soul Friend, right? And that meant he could tell him anything, right?

"Y-you're so… different to the rest of 'em," he murmured.

"'Scuse me?" Fuyuhiko sounded confused.

"You're the o-only one I've m-met… who was nice to me…" he hiccuped as he slowly raised his head, his two eyes meeting Fuyuhiko's single one.

"I don't have a fuckin' clue what you're talkin' about," Fuyuhiko snapped, though he quickly caught himself. "I-I mean… I think I'm missin' somethin'. Mind startin' from the beginnin'?"

"I guess…" Kazuichi took a shaky breath, slowly glancing up at Fuyuhiko. His tears seemed to had dried for the most part, though they still occasionally flowed down his cheeks. "I already told you about my old friend, right…?"

Fuyuhiko nodded.

"Well… when I was in middle school, I… wasn't liked very much," Kazuichi explained. "And Kazuki was the only one who really understood me - prolly 'cause everyone gave him a lotta shit, too."

"So you were bullied," Fuyuhiko figured.

Kazuichi nodded solemnly. "We both were, mostly by the delinquents and the cool kids. We had a lot in common, but we were so different from all the other guys in our grade… so we both got picked on for bein' weak.

"When Kazuki left me, things got a lot worse. The big guys noticed that I was alone… and the bullyin' got way less forgivin'. When Kazuki was with me, the worst that'd happen was bein' called a son of a bitch or a baby, or havin' lunch money stolen. But when I was alone…" He fell silent, miserably gazing down at the floor.

Fuyuhiko gripped his arm tightly, clenching his teeth. "What did they do?" he growled. "What did they do to you?"

Kazuichi, startled by Fuyuhiko's sudden anger, swallowed and glanced back up at him, meeting his single, narrowed eye. "Th-they put a flower on my desk…" he whispered. "Sometimes they'd beat me up, or steal my library books, and there was one time they deliberately ruined my chances with this chick I liked." He sniffled, holding back the tears that threatened to stream down his face again. "But I still remember, walkin' into the classroom one day, findin' a flower on my desk… and that day, I realised." He gulped. "I realised how much of a loser I was. I realised that I was alone. I had no one to turn to, no one who would listen to me. No one took me seriously. No one wanted to spare half a second for Kazuichi Souda, the scrawny crybaby who never had any money. So… I had to change."

"Change?" Fuyuhiko repeated, after he'd steadied his breathing once more. "How?"

"Well, y'see, I wanted to become stronger. I wanted to be like the big guys, and I wanted to be someone they could be proud of. And I think my most drastic change…" He gestured to himself, specifically his face. "...was my appearance."

"Figured that pink hair ain't natural," said Fuyuhiko. "Never seen anyone with it, 'til now."

"I wasn't born with pink eyes or sharp teeth either," said Kazuichi. "'Til now, I was just a loser who really didn't stand out from the crowd at all. Black hair, glasses, lame build, soft-hearted. Definitely not how the typical Japanese dude should be." He sighed. "Got so bad that at one time Dad considered shippin' me off to military school. He never went through with it, but… he thought about it.

"Anyway, that's how it is, ain't it? No matter what I do, I'm still a weaklin' inside. And right now, with everythin' goin' on… I just feel like I'm gonna snap." He wrapped his arms around himself, beginning to tremble again. "I can't take it anymore, man. It's too much… I came to this island expectin' a break, hopin' I could just forget all my anxieties and enjoy myself for once… but… no matter where I go, no matter what I do, it always breaks down and I feel like a car that just won't start."

By then, Fuyuhiko seemed to be at a loss for words. Kazuichi glanced nervously at him, and saw that his single eye had widened in surprise. Did Fuyuhiko think any less of him now? Were his fears and insecurities really that dumb?

Almost instantly, he remembered what Fuyuhiko had said to him on the first floor of Strawberry House.

 _"Tell ya what, I'm still a little scared too."_

Was it really so outlandish for everyone in a situation as terrifying as a killing game to be scared, in their own way? They were only high school students - high school students from all walks of life, who tried to ease their own pain by forming close bonds with one another. They'd likely been forcibly ripped away from their families and friends back home in order to partake in this deadly game - and Kazuichi wasn't sure if he would ever see his mother or father again. If Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the Ultimate Yakuza, could be shaken up by what was happening, then it'd be reasonable to assume that everyone else was, too, in varying degrees.

"I can relate," Fuyuhiko admitted, confirming Kazuichi's suspicions. "I'm s'posed to be the heir of the Kuzuryuu Clan. The one to lead them all. The one that controls everythin'. But so many of my relatives failed to take me seriously. They said I was a weaklin'. That I'm not independent - too dependent on other people. That I'll never be big and strong the same way everyone else was. That's why I fuckin' hate bein' short, Kazuichi. That's why I was such a jackass when I first got here." He bit his lip. "And remember that party Byakuya threw? That's why I didn't attend. I thought that bein' close to anyone was a sign of weakness - as if dependin' on Peko was bad enough.

"But I realised somethin', fairly recently, actually. I realised somethin' that made me look at strength in a new way. It's not about who can stand on their own two feet by themselves. Havin' close companions by your side gives you more strength, 'cuz you know you're not alone."

"But that's a cop-out," Kazuichi protested. "Don'tcha think you're only recognised for what you do as an individual? No one gives a fuck 'bout what you do if you rely on other people. You're only strong if you can brave it alone."

"Yeah, that's what I thought until I got that wake-up call at the second trial," said Fuyuhiko. "Y'all were shitting your pants over me, but 'cause no one trusted me, I only had one person to rely on. And when she…" Fuyuhiko paused and took a deep breath. "When she died, I was in the same place as you. Alone." He chuckled bitterly. "Never thought I'd hate bein' alone so much."

"It really sucks," Kazuichi agreed. "Had to go through that shit throughout most of grade school, 'til I met Kazuki…"

"S'pose we have more in common than I initially thought," Fuyuhiko observed. "But… I think there's still one thing that makes us different. One thing 'bout me that I don't think you'll ever understand."

"Yeah?" Kazuichi sat up, suddenly curious.

"...you wanna go home, right? Like, you'd do anythin' to get outta here and go back to how things used to be, despite the hardships and shit you faced before… this."

Kazuichi instantly nodded. "Maybe I was a loser back at my old school," he said. "Maybe I had the occasional flower placed on my desk, the occasional classmate tellin' me to fuck off and die. And maybe Mom and Dad were real hard on me at times. But… my parents did love me, even if they didn't show it much. I know Dad appreciated the hard work I put into the bike shop we ran together." He wistfully closed his eyes. "Maybe my old life was kind of a shitfest. But every day of my new one, watchin' people die every few days or so, felt like bein' sent to Hell for some kinda punishment."

"Bet you'd have fun livin' the Yakuza life," Fuyuhiko snarked. "Guess what I get to go home to if I ever make it outta here alive?"

"More death and sufferin'?"

Fuyuhiko nodded gravely. "You hit the jackpot."

Perhaps Fuyuhiko hadn't intended to explain precisely how he felt about going home and returning to his own life - but he didn't need to. Kazuichi had suddenly realised exactly how difficult Fuyuhiko's life would've been, like a blind old man who'd gained vision for the first time. Fuyuhiko wasn't very enthusiastic about going home, especially now that he knew that the two most important people in his life were dead. What did Fuyuhiko have to return to? His old life wasn't even that much different from his new one - and now, he, like Kazuichi, had no close companions to return home to.

Suppose they'd both escaped with their lives intact. Were they ever going to see each other again?

"Sometimes I wonder if this is all just a dream," said Fuyuhiko. "And when I wake up, I'd be in my room at home, and Peko'd be bustlin' around gettin' ourselves organised for our first day at Hope's Peak Academy. But… if this is a dream… then you'd better be fuckin' real, Kazuichi." He cracked a small, genuine smile. "I'm gonna slap a bitch if you're just a figment of my imagination."

Kazuichi chuckled. He was certain that he was real, and perhaps Fuyuhiko was too - but what would it take for this dream to end? If this really was a dream, then he really wanted to wake up from it as soon as possible.

Even if it potentially meant losing Fuyuhiko forever.

* * *

Tears trickled down Kazuichi's face as he slowly limped across the first floor of Strawberry House, his stomach loudly growling in protest as a result of the lack of food he had consumed. Day 2 of the Funhouse, and everyone was somehow still alive. But with Monokuma's new Tai Chi program underway, forcing everyone to wake up at 7am every morning in order to exercise, Kazuichi was certain that his end was near.

He didn't want to die so slowly and painfully.

He didn't want to face day after day of his body aching, his stomach roaring, his movements sluggish.

So now, there was only one thing to do.

Maybe he was weak. Maybe he was selfish. Maybe he was going to hurt everyone as a result of his plan. But it was the only thing he could think of. Everyone would be free. Everyone would be happy again. Everyone would gain prospering futures, achieve their dreams. Kazuichi was fine with saying good-bye to his rocketship project - he knew he was never going to achieve this faraway dream, anyway.

Besides, maybe he could finally awaken from this horrible nightmare.

He stopped, and glanced up at his destination. He felt so small beside the hulking, pink double doors of the Final Dead Room. His lips curled into a sad smile, knowing that he'd never really been a valuable asset to his classmates at all. But they wouldn't have to deal with him anymore. He knew he was doing them all a favour.

He took a deep breath. _This is it_ , he thought. _No more escape game. No more killin' game. No more stupid, weak Kazuichi._

With a shaking hand, he reached out and gripped the handle of the doors in front of him, just as it occurred to him that someone was calling his name.

* * *

 _In a Japanese schooling environment, putting a flower on one's desk conveys one of two meanings, depending on whether or not the student in question is alive. If the student in question is dead, it is a sign of honour and respect for the deceased student, which is of course a nice gesture. If the student in question is alive, however, then the flower placed on the desk carries a much more menacing message - that someone wants that student dead, or to commit suicide._

 _This gesture hits Kazuichi hard because he never quite imagined that anyone would hate him enough to want him dead, or to kill himself, and once this happens for the first time he feels a strong sense of loneliness. Keep in mind, too, that in one of the manga adaptations/spinoffs of SDR2, it is shown in a flashback that a flower was placed on Kazuichi's desk in middle school._

 _As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you have enjoyed this chapter!_


	15. Chapter 15: The Cold, Hard Truth

_TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains implied references to suicide. Please read at your own discretion._

* * *

 **Chapter 15: The Cold, Hard Truth**

There was no way Fuyuhiko could deny it - he was worried.

When the starving, exhausted students gathered around in Grape Hall and Monokuma announced his new Tai Chi program, Kazuichi had been sweating and trembling profusely. And, after a moment, he'd began a sentence that he'd never finished, saying that he might as well do… something. But what?

The terrified expression on Kazuichi's face made one thing clear: he was going to do something drastic, like a murder, perhaps. But Fuyuhiko found it unlikely that Kazuichi would deliberately murder someone - he'd likely change his mind before the deed was even done. Besides, if there was ever a situation where Kazuichi had turned out to be the blackened, it'd result in the easiest class trial ever.

But, no. Kazuichi was too scared to even think about committing a murder. But if that was the case…

He recalled everything that Kazuichi had told him the previous night - how he'd been bullied, how he'd had flowers placed upon his desk...

Fuyuhiko's single eye shot wide open in horror. The pacing of his heart quickened, keeping in sync with the sudden panic that consumed him. The first Monokuma Tai Chi session had concluded only five minutes ago, and he'd returned to the second floor of Strawberry House due to a desperate desire to sit down somewhere - ideally one of the couches.

He wished he'd arrived at this revelation sooner.

He slowly wobbled to his feet, cursing under his breath at the intense hunger pains he was beginning to experience, and moved, as quickly as he could - which wasn't very quick, as it turned out - downstairs. There, the first sight he came across was Kazuichi, standing in front of the looming doors of the Final Dead Room, tightly gripping the door handle.

"Kazuichi!" he called out as loudly as he could, staggering towards him. "What the hell do you think you're doin'!?"

No response. The handle slowly turned beneath Kazuichi's steady grip.

Fuyuhiko leapt into Kazuichi's direction and clung so tightly to the collar of his jumpsuit that he thought the fabric was going to tear. "I said, what the hell do you think you're doin'!?" he repeated, demanding an answer.

Only then did Kazuichi pause. He slowly turned his head toward Fuyuhiko, until the shorter boy found his single eye meeting Kazuichi's blank stare. His stomach quickly knotted itself tightly, and he found himself unsure of what to do, confused about how terrifying the thought of losing Kazuichi had become. It felt like the second trial all over again - screaming Peko's name, begging Monokuma to let her live, rushing out to the battlefield in a futile attempt to save her.

And here he was, face to face with Kazuichi, who was still gripping the door handle like a lifeline, as he desperately clung to his jumpsuit.

He remembered what he'd told Akane about treating every moment with Nekomaru like it was her last, and his heart sank as he realised that he hadn't done likewise himself, with Kazuichi. There was still so much he wanted to do with him, he realised. So many things he wanted to say…

Kazuichi was, quite literally, at death's door. But maybe Fuyuhiko could save him this time.

"Gettin' you guys outta here," Kazuichi quietly, monotonously responded to him. "Don't worry 'bout me, I'm just givin' myself a better send-off."

"The fuck are you talkin' about?" Fuyuhiko spat. "Actually, I don't wanna know. Get the fuck away from that room or I'll drag you away myself!"

Kazuichi's hand slowly slipped away from the door handle. He sighed. "I had a feelin' you wouldn't take this very well," he mumbled, and Fuyuhiko noticed the way his voice was beginning to waver as he spoke. "But it's like I said yesterday… I-I just can't take it anymore. I'm sick of bein' on this island, sick of watchin' people die… I'm sick of it!" His voice rose, ending in a shout, and angry tears began to spill down his cheeks. He gripped Fuyuhiko's shoulders tightly, staring down at him. "I just wanna go home! I wanna go back to my simple life at the bike shop, and see Mom and Dad again, and… I-I just wanna wake up from this bad dream. Before I… starve to death…"

By this point, Kazuichi had broken down into sobs, his hands remaining in a death grip on Fuyuhiko's shoulders. The sight of him so torn apart left Fuyuhiko speechless, with only a pang in his heart to explain how he felt. It was a very similar feeling to how he'd felt whenever Peko insisted that she was nothing more than a tool to him, only this time, Fuyuhiko could relate to Kazuichi's distress. Kazuichi wanted to escape this despair-inducing situation however possible - even if it meant sacrificing himself. How long had it even been since their arrival on this island? It had to have only been a week or two, but to Fuyuhiko it felt as though he'd been trapped here for an eternity.

Fuyuhiko eventually placed a comforting hand on Kazuichi's shoulder. He had nothing helpful to say, nothing that would make Kazuichi feel much bettter. The fact remained that they were in a terrible situation, and the stress had built up in Kazuichi to the point where he'd been prepared to do something drastic. He could only watch as the taller boy cried, and it was the most intense Fuyuhiko had ever seen a boy cry.

After another minute or two, Kazuichi's sobs began to cease, and before long the only sounds Fuyuhiko could make out were sniffles and the occasional hiccup.

"Th-thank you…" Kazuichi murmured, not tearing his gaze away from Fuyuhiko's as his grip on his shoulders loosened, and he eventually lay his arms back down to his sides. "You just stopped me from doin' somethin' really stupid…" He chuckled half-heartedly. "I prolly wouldn't have been brave enough to go through with it anyway…"

Fuyuhiko smiled softly, knowing that he'd succeeded this time. Kazuichi was still with him, alive and well (aside from his gruelling starvation). "I don't wanna see you down here again," he growled in a low voice. "And I don't wanna see you near those fuckin' doors. Got it?"

Kazuichi nodded. "Got it."

The warmth filling Fuyuhiko's heart was an alien feeling that he'd never quite experienced before. He hadn't anticipated just how happy he'd be to know that Kazuichi was alive and safe. He had an overwhelming urge to pull Kazuichi into an embrace, but he brushed the thought aside as quickly as possible. He'd just be too mushy with him.

But there was still something he needed to say, he realised. Something he needed to say to Kazuichi, right here, right now, before it was too late.

"Hey," he began.

Kazuichi looked at him curiously. "Yeah?"

"I just wanna say…" He paused as he felt his cheeks burn slightly. "...that I… consider you a friend. My closest friend out of everyone here." He swallowed. "A-and… if anything happens to you… I swear I'll beat the hell out of whoever's responsible."

There. That seemed good enough. He felt that there was something more to say, something with a lot more weight, but he couldn't recall what it was at that moment. Besides, it probably wasn't very important.

Kazuichi grinned broadly at him. "You too," he said. "Like I said, you're my Soul Friend… and you always will be. No matter what."

Fuyuhiko smiled back. "We're prolly not gonna stick around very long," he said. "So I had to tell ya that before anythin' happens to either of us… d-don't take it personally or anythin'."

Kazuichi chuckled again, more genuine this time. "I'm glad I know that now," he said. "I'm glad I have a Soul Friend like you."

"Me too," said Fuyuhiko. Yet, again, the feeling that something more needed to be said returned to him, as though being Soul Friends - the highest level of friendship one could achieve with Kazuichi - wasn't enough.

* * *

"I'm gonna confess to Miss Sonia," Kazuichi announced, a determined gleam in his eye.

"Good luck with that," Fuyuhiko scoffed.

A few hours had passed since the encounter on the first floor, and the two of them were presently in Fuyuhiko's room. Having nothing else to do to distract them from their respective hunger pains, they decided to just chatter about whatever came to mind. Fuyuhiko had found that speaking with Kazuichi effectively eased some of his worries, and served as an efficient distraction from the fact that he hadn't eaten a thing in over 24 hours.

"No, I'm serious, dude," Kazuichi insisted, his voice soft. "Like you said, I ain't gonna be living much longer unless a miracle happens. And there's somethin' Miss Sonia needs to know, before anythin' happens…"

Fuyuhiko bit back his automatic responses to Kazuichi talking about Sonia - "not like she gives two shits," "just leave her alone, for fuck's sake" - knowing that indeed, this was serious. He didn't expect much to come out of the confession, but even so, if Kazuichi was serious about this, then perhaps it wasn't a great idea to rain on his parade.

"...fine," he eventually said. "Uh, good luck with that, I guess."

Kazuichi frowned. "Somethin' the matter, bro?" he inquired.

And Fuyuhiko realised the something was the matter. Something didn't feel quite right. The knots in his stomach and the feeling that he'd failed to tell Kazuichi something important had returned. He was concerned that he'd have his heart broken by Sonia, worried about his reaction to her (highly likely) rejection, and yet… there was something more to that. Something that caused his… disappointment that Kazuichi only had eyes for Sonia.

"I'm fine," he replied to Kazuichi, and the moment the lie was said he regretted blurting it out.

Kazuichi grinned. "You're worried 'bout me, aren't ya?" he teased.

"N-not at all, you idiot!" Fuyuhiko cried as his cheeks burned red.

"No sweat, I'll be fine," Kazuichi continued confidently. "I'm sure that Miss Sonia feels the same way! She's just hidin' it and ignorin' me as a cover-up!"

Fuyuhiko rolled his single eye and sighed. "You never know," he said.

"Oh, I do know!" Kazuichi claimed excitedly. "But fuck, I'm so nervous, man… what do I say to her? Should I give her a serenade? Some kind of present?"

"You can't play guitar," Fuyuhiko pointed out matter-of-factly. "And there's no market here, and I don't have anythin' you could give to her."

"You do raise a good point."

"Just… just tell her you like her. It's that simple."

"You sure it'll be enough for such a grand lady like her?"

"Positive."

Kazuichi smiled. "Thanks, dude. Well, here goes nothin'..." He rose to his feet and headed toward the door. "Seeya later! I'll let ya know what happens."

"Seeya," said Fuyuhiko, and Kazuichi was gone in an instant, enabling the overwhelming feeling to fully consume him at last. What… was this?

He knew for a fact that he was against Kazuichi making any further advances on Sonia. He could tell that the poor girl was not pleased with being placed on a pedestal and treated as though she were Kazuichi's personal eye candy. And he didn't want to deal with Kazuichi's messy heartbreak that would ensue afterwards. But that wasn't all. There was something more to this.

He then realised that even if, somehow, Kazuichi was right and Sonia liked him back, and the two of them started dating, Fuyuhiko would still be unhappy. This wasn't what being Soul Friends was all about, was it? Wasn't he supposed to feel happy for Kazuichi if he got the girl?

 _For fuck's sake,_ he thought. _This is startin' to sound like one of those fuckin' romance manga Natsumi read._

Romance. Could that be it? Was this the primary explanation for this feeling, this green-eyed monster that now resided within him? No. It couldn't be. He couldn't be crushing on another male, it was a feeling that Yakuza were not to experience. "Bros before hoes" was a saying he'd heard all the time back home, and to harbour romantic feelings for another male was considered an aspect of femininity - a sign of weakness.

Fuyuhiko lay down on his bed and closed his single eye, thinking back to how he'd been feeling about Kazuichi for the past day or two. It was similar to how he'd felt about Peko, and yet… different. Was it normal to envy his best friend's crush? Was it normal to feel the need to be so,.. affectionate towards him? Was it normal to be so greatly impacted by the possible death of someone he'd only known for a week or two? Did all of this mean something? What even was the difference between romantic and platonic love? He bit his lip - this was something that Natsumi would've been able to help him out with, since she'd had a boyfriend before, and plenty of fleeting crushes. But he was never going to see her again…

He next conjured up a mental image of Kazuichi, which wasn't that much different from the real deal. Matted pink hair, mostly hidden in the hat he always wore. Pink eyes that he now knew for certain were coloured contacts. Razor-sharp teeth that resembled that of a shark's. He tried to picture what Kazuichi would've looked like prior to his makeover - just a thin, dark-haired boy with glasses who spent much of his free time tinkering with machinery and fixing appliances. Fuyuhiko couldn't help but smile, knowing how much of a dork Kazuichi had always been and longing to shut his big mouth up with a kiss-

His single eye widened in horror in response to the scandalous thought that had just crossed his mind. No. He was not crushing on Kazuichi. He was _not_ crushing on Kazuichi.

He bolted upwards, gripped his pillow tightly - so tightly that it almost ripped in half - and buried his face into it, screaming loudly. After a moment, he threw it across the room, angry tears streaming down his cheeks.

The truth had tackled him head-on. He was crushing on Kazuichi Souda.


	16. Chapter 16: The Rejection

**Chapter 16: The Rejection**

Kazuichi's stomach lurched as the elevator doors opened and he trudged out into Grape Hall. He hadn't anticipated just how nerve-wracking this would be. Why did confessing to someone you liked - with complete seriousness - have to be such a difficult and perplexing ordeal?

He made his way over to the first floor of Grape House. There was no Sonia in sight; however, he did spot Hajime and Chiaki huddled in a corner, talking quietly amongst themselves. He figured it was best not to disturb them, and instead go upstairs. Surely Sonia would be around somewhere, right? It shouldn't be so difficult to locate her,

Sure enough, she was indeed on the second floor, sitting gracefully on one of the loveseats. Legs huddled closely together, clasped hands on her lap, a twinkle in her eyes - even if she'd been deprived of food for over 24 hours, Sonia was as beautifully mesmerising as ever, as expected of a princess.

"M-Miss Sonia…" he began as he cautiously approached her. "May I… s-speak to you for a moment?"

Sonia met his nervous gaze, the sparkle in her eyes fading a little, and Kazuichi's heart sank. "Of course," she said. "Please, take a seat."

He sat himself down in the loveseat beside her, staring down at his lap. Was this really happening? Was he really conversing with Sonia Nevermind? He couldn't believe his luck.

"What is it that you would like to discuss, Kazuichi?" Sonia asked as she smiled pleasantly at him. Kazuichi felt his heart skip a beat - he was being noticed by a princess, by a beautiful blonde girl. Was this real? Did he have a chance with her after all?

Only one way to find out, he thought as he took a deep breath, prepared to say those life-changing words.

"I like you, Miss Sonia." He bit his lip and looked away from her, a blush dusting his cheeks. "I… I really like you!"

Sonia pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing slightly, as though she'd seen this coming. "Do you really?" she asked.

Kazuichi felt as though he'd been unexpectedly punched in the gut. What did that mean? He'd expected a simple response such as "I like you too, Kazuichi" or even just "I'm sorry, Kazuichi, but I do not return your feelings." He hadn't, in any way, anticipated a response as cryptic as "do you really?"

"I- 'scuse me?"

"I am completely serious, Kazuichi," said Sonia, who was now glancing expectantly at him. "Are you sure that you have feelings for me? Or are your feelings limited to this beautiful princess you see?"

Kazuichi uneasily swallowed the lump in his throat. "O-of course I like you, Miss Sonia-"

"I see that you have not given this any proper thought." Sonia thoughtfully placed a finger to her chin. "If you really do like me so much, Kazuichi, then I implore you to inform me of the qualities you admire."

"U-um…" Kazuichi could feel his palms sweating by that point. "Well, y-you're a beautiful girl - the most beautiful girl I've ever seen! I love everythin' about you, like your long, blonde hair, your beautiful grey eyes, your kind smile…"

"Is that all?"

"W-Well, there's a lot more than that - too much to think of. But you're really nice, really considerate…"

"I see." Sonia nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, did you know that I am fascinated with the occult, as well as Japanese animation?"

"You are!?" Kazuichi cried, dumbfounded. He never could have guessed.

"Yes." Sonia frowned, as though disappointed that Kazuichi had not known of these odd facts. "I must confess, I was expecting you to know that already," she admitted. "Hajime tells me that I talk about those subjects at length all the time. In fact, I feel that Hajime knows much more about me than you do."

As she spoke, Kazuichi's idealised image of her - the pure and beautiful princess - was beginning to shatter before his eyes. He blinked in disbelief, staring into Sonia's eyes.

"I-I don't believe this," he whispered. "You're not the real Miss Sonia! You're a fuckin' imposter!"

Sonia's eyes widened, as though she hadn't expected that sudden outburst. "What on earth are you talking about? Have you really deluded yourself into thinking that I am nothing more than a princess for you to admire? I am sorry, Kazuichi, but I am the real Sonia Nevermind, and there is much more to me beyond my status and exterior beauty."

Kazuichi stared down at the floor, silently willing it to swallow him whole. He hadn't been pining after the real Sonia Nevermind after all, had he? Was he really yearning after the elegant princess he'd perceived her to be?

Did he even like her that way at all?

"Well, I hate to say this," Sonia went on, "but I do not return your feelings, Kazuichi. Indeed, I harbour a romantic attraction to someone else."

Kazuichi swallowed and closed his eyes, trying his hardest to hold back his tears. He recalled his bullies in middle school, proudly flaunting their girlfriends and making fun of him for not having one. And he recalled how eagerly he'd challenged them, saying that he'd one day win over a girl that was better than any of them ever had. He had high hopes for this, he was almost certain that he'd win Sonia over somehow, but…

"It's Gundam, isn't it?" he murmured shakily.

"Yes," Sonia confirmed with a sigh. "I am truly sorry. But perhaps you will understand if I explain why."

"No, I already know," he said, turning away from her as a tear slid down his cheek. "I ain't good enough for you. Gundam's better in every way…"

"Kazuichi. Please, hear me out. I have my reasons, and I hope that you will take the time to understand them."

Kazuichi took a deep breath as he slowly, hesitantly met her apologetic gaze again. "Okay."

Sonia placed a hand on his shoulder. "Kazuichi, I may not know you very well," she began. "Although you have managed to approach me at every feasible opportunity, I avoided you whenever I could. I will explain why in just a moment, but for now, I would like to say that your actions during the killing game thus far are incredibly admirable. You built the communication system for us, for example, and although it sadly backfired in the end, you made an effort to try and understand Hiyoko. And, most importantly, you have been a valuable companion to Fuyuhiko at an unfortunate, stressful time in his life - a time where having a supportive friend by his side is highly beneficial.

"Your behaviour towards myself, however, has always made me feel rather uncomfortable. As a result of your constant displays of affection towards me, I feel as though I only exist to please your personal fantasies, despite the fact that my greatest wish is to live a happy life as a normal teenaged girl. Additionally, I feel as though what you are experiencing is truly not the result of love, or even a strong crush. This is why I asked if you really liked me earlier."

The bullies were right, Kazuichi realised as his heart sank to the pit of his stomach. He was never going to get a girlfriend, never going to have his own happy ending with the girl of his dreams. He was a pathetic weakling that no girl would ever want to even go near. How would he ever get a girlfriend if his affection towards her drove her away? The bullies snagged the most popular girls in school because they were tough and let them know how much they liked them at every chance they got - so why didn't it work for Kazuichi?

"What draws me to Gundam is his respect towards me," Sonia went on. "Throughout our trip, he has shown nothing but kindness towards me - but it's not of the forced sort. He's not being nice just because I'm a beautiful princess who would inflict a horrible punishment on him if he dared step out of line. No, his kindness is natural. And I, in turn, am fascinated by his personality. There is truly more to him than meets the eye."

And then, at last, the fog had cleared, and Kazuichi found himself face-to-face with the truth.

He was not in love with Sonia, and he never had been.

He'd used her as a pawn for his own selfish reasons, he realised in despair. He'd only been wanting to date her to prove his bullies wrong - he'd found the perfect girl, right here, and he wanted to claim her as his own. He wanted to prove to these tough, burly boys who made his life a living hell that yes, he could get a girlfriend - one who was a princess, at that. But all he'd done was kid himself and hurt Sonia. That was something that he'd never forgive himself for.

Against his will, his shoulders shook, and tears began to stream down his cheeks. All he'd achieved, in the end, would've been to prove the bullies right.

Sonia glanced down at him sympathetically. "I am truly sorry for upsetting you," she said. "But you do understand, do you not?"

"N-no, I should be the one who's sorry," Kazuichi sniffled, hiding his teary eyes from her. "You're right… I never really liked you at all. I used you… for the wrong reasons… urgh, I'm such a selfish fuck. I only used you for my own gain. I never even thought about how you'd feel…"

Sonia nodded in acknowledgement and slowly, cautiously pulled Kazuichi into a warm embrace. There was no spark, no fireworks exploding within his chest as Kazuichi's body hesitantly pressed against Sonia's. There weren't even any awestruck thoughts about how he was being hugged by Miss Sonia, the Ultimate Princess. No, all he thought at that moment was how relieved he was that Sonia was forgiving and understanding him - though he himself still felt ashamed of his actions.

"It is truly alright, Kazuichi," she murmured soothingly as she let go of him. "I am still disappointed in you - but, above all, I am pleased that you have been honest with me just now. It shows how compassionate you can be."

"R-really?"

"Yes. I must confess, I have had my doubts about you due to the way you have acted around me. But once I realised how valuable a friend you have been to Fuyuhiko, I had second thoughts." She smiled once again. "You are the one who brought Fuyuhiko out of his shell, despite your resentment towards him prior. If I may ask, how have you achieved this feat? How have you gained the strength and courage to approach and befriend him?"

 _Right,_ Kazuichi thought as he rubbed his eyes in an attempt to dry them. _Sonia visited Fuyuhiko on the night of the third trial, after I left… has he told her about me?_ His chest swelled with warmth, pleased to know that Fuyuhiko was happy with him and that he was doing his job as a Soul Friend correctly.

He took a moment to think about Sonia's question. He drew his mind back to Peko's execution, and how worried sick he'd been that Fuyuhiko had died along with Peko. He recalled the second half of the second trial and how Fuyuhiko's brash exterior was quickly shattering, quickly exposing his vulnerability. It was the day his resentment and fear towards the Ultimate Yakuza quickly morphed into compassion and understanding.

"Yeah," he said. "Durin' the second trial, I started seein' him as a different person. And I was worried 'bout him. I wanted a chance to become his friend. It seemed like he really needed one."

Sonia nodded in agreement. "I can't imagine how dreadful that whole ordeal must have been for him," she sighed. "A new friend… that is exactly what he needed at a time where he lost his dearest companion."

"Yeah," Kazuichi agreed. "Hiyoko, too…"

"Indeed. It is simply tragic that she was killed just as she was beginning to warm up to us…" Sonia released a sad sigh. "I still feel guilty for suggesting she go to the music venue…"

"'S not your fault," said Kazuichi. "You had no way to know that a murderer was there."

"I know. But that does not change the fact that I could have prevented it somehow. I should have at least accompanied her… if I had… then perhaps Ibuki and Mikan would still be with us as well."

"But Mikan's a psycho," Kazuichi pointed out.

"I suppose that is true… in that case, we would have kept close watch on her." Sonia closed her eyes. "But nonetheless, we cannot change the past, much as we would like to. What we must do instead is work toward a future we can all be proud of. It will be incredibly difficult to move on from the past, as we've lost so many of our dear friends… but I am certain that they will take pride in our eventual escape from this island."

Kazuichi nodded in agreement. Sonia had a point. What was left of them needed to get out of here alive, for the sake of the seven young lives claimed by this gruesome killing game. They couldn't allow their classmates to die in vain, and they couldn't allow anyone else to be sacrificed.

"Sonia… may I ask you somethin'?"

"Yes?"

Kazuichi nervously swallowed. "D-does this mean we're… friends now? Assumin' we weren't before, I mean."

Sonia beamed, the sparkle in her eyes returning. "Of course, Kazuichi. And I will do my best to ensure that our friendship will continue prior to our escape."

Kazuichi couldn't help but grin, realising that this entire time, from the moment he'd laid his eyes on her, he'd really just wanted to have Sonia as a friend. The fact that she was perfectly happy to fulfill that role caused his heart to swell with happiness. At that point, he didn't even care whether she was a princess or a commoner, beautiful or ugly - what mattered most to him was her kindness. "Thank you," he breathed. "Really, thanks a lot. I didn't realise it 'til just now, but… I've wanted to hear those words from you for a long time."

Sonia returned his beaming smile, and Kazuichi swore that the shine in her eyes was brighter than before. "It is not a problem, Kazuichi," she said.

"And I just wanna say," Kazuichi continued, "that I hope things go well between you and Gundam. I mean, you are gonna ask him out at some point, right?"

But Sonia surprised him by shaking her head. "I do not think that now is the best time," she said. "I am overjoyed as it is, simply to be someone that he can confide in. But perhaps, if and when Gundam and myself escape together, I will inform him of my feelings."

Kazuichi nodded, understanding and respecting Sonia's decision. "I… I hope the both of you escape this shithole together," he murmured. He never thought he'd see the day where he said these words with complete seriousness - he'd always just wanted Gundam out of the way somehow, so that Sonia would be his for the taking - but now, all he knew was that he wanted Sonia to be happy. And as long as Gundam survived and escaped with her…

Sonia beamed, and Kazuichi swore that it was the happiest he'd seen her in a long time. "Thank you," she said. She rose to her feet. "I must leave for now, and I apologise for cutting this pleasant little chat short - but, I implore you to consult me if there is anything you would like to discuss, Kazuichi. Anything at all."

"Thanks," he replied as he, too, stood up. "And… y'know you can do the same with me, right? If there's anythin' you wanna talk about… I'm all ears."

Sonia nodded. "I hope to see you around," she said with a parting wave, before she began to ascend the stairs to the third floor.

"You too!" Kazuichi called after her.

This was not an outcome he'd expected from his confession, he thought as he descended the staircase. But now that he knew the truth of his own feelings, it couldn't have been better. Sonia Nevermind was not his girlfriend, and she never would be. But she was now a friend - and a valuable one at that. He felt lightheaded, overjoyed that he'd gained another friend. He couldn't wait to tell Fuyuhiko-

He stopped in his tracks as he landed on Grape House's first floor, and his happiness promptly rotted away, leaving a gaping hole of emptiness behind. Hajime and Chiaki had departed, and in their place were Akane and Nekomaru, standing close to each other, hands intertwined. Due to his robotic face, Nekomaru's expression was unreadable; however, Akane's winning smile told the story nonetheless. It was the happiest Kazuichi had ever seen Akane throughout all the time he'd known her, and his heart sank as he pieced together what this all meant.

She and Nekomaru liked each other. So much, in fact, that they'd decided to be together. And Kazuichi felt painfully jealous, painfully lonely, and he knew that he was still yearning for someone to love. But he no longer liked Sonia that way, and yet, he was still thinking of blonde people of a high social class…

 _At least they got 'emselves a happy endin'..._

Kazuichi retreated to his room at Strawberry House as quickly as his starving body would allow him and sunk to his knees in the middle of the room. This had to be a joke. He wasn't sure, couldn't confirm it - was he in denial? - but the way his current thoughts were shaping out, this did not look good.

He'd resolved to do everything he'd ever wanted and needed to do with Fuyuhiko before one or both of them had died. But this… this had to be an exception. It couldn't be done. It couldn't be said.

It would end their friendship forever, and Kazuichi would lose him. That couldn't happen. Not if he allowed it.


	17. Chapter 17: The Reciprocation

_Welp, this is it, folks. This is the chapter you've all been waiting for. Something really exciting happens in this one, and I hope you all enjoy it. :D_

 _Please bear in mind that this is NOT the final chapter of the fic, nor will the fic be ending anytime soon. There's still a lot to come, and we're only about halfway through the story! I do estimate that the complete story will have about 30 chapters in total, possibly more than that. So yeah, there's still a lot of material to get through.  
_

 _Thanks again for your support, and I really hope you enjoy this chapter!  
_

* * *

 **Chapter 17: The Reciprocation**

Fuyuhiko tossed and turned in his bed, his attempts at falling asleep proving to be futile. His body ached all over, especially his stomach, and despite his tolerance to such pain, it was making it incredibly difficult for him to comfortably fall asleep. Additionally - and this was the more irritating part - his mind wouldn't shut up for even one moment.

He hadn't heard back from Kazuichi about Sonia, or even seen him since he'd run off to confess his feelings to her. He figured he just needed space for awhile - being rejected by Sonia would've been a big deal for him, after all - but he hadn't reappeared for the rest of the day, and Fuyuhiko was growing concerned.

Furthermore, there was that whole crush thing to worry about. Fuyuhiko had made several attempts at shoving those thoughts out of his mind, desperately hoping that they'd just go away and cease to burden him, but somehow his attempts to shut them out instead made them louder and clearer. At this point, it was as though his subconsciousness was taunting him, putting him down for being such an over-dependent weakling who had the nerve to harbour romantic feelings for another male. It was a new height of low self-esteem, and Fuyuhiko had never hated himself to such an extent until that night.

He never really had a problem with same-sex romance, but he wasn't one for encouraging it either. It was none of his business, and he never found a reason to care about it. He'd never had any doubts about his own sexuality, either - all he knew was that he'd occasionally crush on a girl. There'd never been anything to question. But knowing that he was crushing on his best friend - and a male, at that - left him in a position he'd never expected to be in, or even thought about.

Yet, here he was, questioning his sexuality and his place in the Kuzuryuu Clan, all because he was infatuated with Kazuichi.

He gripped his blanket tightly, gritting his teeth. Was this a normal thing that straight guys went through? Did they ever have the occasional thought that they'd like to take a guy out, hold his hand, kiss him? Those thoughts had to be brief, fleeting, right?

Or was Fuyuhiko really an anomaly?

"Fuck," he mumbled as he squeezed his eye closed. He needed some kind of distraction from his own thoughts. Something to do. But the problem was, in the Funhouse, there really was nothing that could be done to kill time. There weren't any books around, and he certainly hadn't brought any of his own. If he'd known that he was going to spend possibly the rest of his short life in such a boring place, he would've brought along a couple of novels. Sweets also helped him a lot, but of course, there was nothing for him to eat, and Monokuma had taken his stash of emergency candies.

He contemplated going up to the third floor of Strawberry House, where the playground was. Of course, he was far too old for it, and he no longer found careening down the slide an adequate form of entertainment. But desperate times called for desperate measures. He was sure there was a swing, at the very least. As long as he didn't have to move around too much, and no one saw him…

With his mind set, Fuyuhiko opened his good eye again as he cautiously climbed out of bed and reached for his eyepatch, lying on the dresser beside him. After concealing his bad eye again, he tidied up his suit, put his shoes back on and carefully left his room.

The second floor of Strawberry House was completely silent, aside from his soft footsteps. It seemed that the other boys had already fallen asleep - just as Fuyuhiko had hoped. He needed some alone time, and besides, he'd rather not be seen at the playground (had anyone else even used it since they got here?)

He took his time to ascend the stairs due to his hunger pains and physical weakness - he was definitely losing a lot of weight, not that he'd ever really needed to. He hoped he'd at least not become underweight, though it was more likely that he'd die first.

Upon reaching the third floor, he paused, and his heartbeat quickened. Dread washed over him - he'd wanted to be alone, damnit. And although he had been concerned about Kazuichi, at the moment he was the last person Fuyuhiko had wanted to see. His hands were steadily sweating at the mere sight of Kazuichi, and he hated it.

The Ultimate Mechanic in question had occupied one of the swings, his hands placed between him, staring straight ahead - though he didn't seem to have noticed Fuyuhiko's presence. He was visibly frowning, his eyes thoughtful-looking yet melancholy.

Something was very, very wrong, Fuyuhiko realised. And right now, regardless of how he felt about this boy, he was still his best friend. He needed to be there for him. It was exactly what friends did, wasn't it? Besides, Kazuichi had comforted him himself so many times, from that day in the hospital to the present. And Fuyuhiko had done his own part in ensuring his friend was safe and happy, but… it wasn't enough. And given the circumstances, it never would be.

He cautiously walked up to the swingset and occupied the swing beside Kazuichi. "Hey."

Kazuichi blinked as he turned his head towards him. "Oh, hey," he murmured. "Think it's late. Why're you still up?"

"Can't sleep," Fuyuhiko replied. "And you?"

"Neither."

With that, Kazuichi looked away from him and returned to staring in space, and Fuyuhiko's concern grew greater than before. Maybe Kazuichi was simply tired and sore, he rationalised. He probably lacked the energy to hold up a proper conversation. But even so… something felt wrong. There had to be more than that. And it would be best to ask, just in case.

"Somethin' wrong?" he tentatively asked. "You're a little quieter than usual today. How'd the thing with Sonia go?"

"Oh yeah, 'bout that," Kazuichi spoke, though his gaze remained firmly away from Fuyuhiko this time. "I never actually liked her to begin with. And she doesn't like me that way either."

"Oh…"

"But we agreed to be friends, so… s'all good."

Kazuichi was still single. And, even better, he didn't even like Sonia at all. Fuyuhiko internally slapped himself for experiencing the warmth he'd gained in his chest as a result of this revelation. He wasn't supposed to feel so happy about this, especially since this still seemed to bother Kazuichi quite a bit. And even if the Sonia thing had nothing to do with it, Kazuichi was still unhappy, likely due to their current situation.

The two of them sat in silence for awhile, and Fuyuhiko fixed his attention on the way the strawberry cutouts floated around the walls, ceiling and floor of the room. What was on Kazuichi's mind right now? Was he wondering how much longer they'd all be trapped in the Funhouse? Was he thinking about his parents back home, the bike shop he'd managed alongside his father? Was he fearful that he - or Fuyuhiko - was going to die?

"How're you holdin' up?" Kazuichi finally asked. "You look like you've barely slept a wink. Sure you're not tired or anythin'?"

"There's just been a lot on my mind lately," Fuyuhiko answered truthfully. "I came up here for some kind of distraction."

"Same here, honestly," said Kazuichi. "What's goin' on with you?"

Fuyuhiko hesitated. If he was truthful about this, Kazuichi would never want to associate with him again. There was something about him that seemed to find homosexuality… impulsive. Fuyuhiko could be wrong, but he didn't seem like the type who'd willingly hang around with someone who was gay, or even bi, for the sake of maintaining his public image.

And yet… would Kazuichi understand? If he'd said that the crush was (hopefully) a temporary thing, would he be able to help him get rid of it? There was no way he could carry on living his life as a gangster if he was interested in other males. No one would take him seriously anymore. He already stuck out like a sore thumb in his own clan; he didn't need this too.

No. He was going to stick to his original plan and ignore it, as best as he could. Things would be back to normal before he knew it, as long as he drove any and all intimate thoughts of Kazuichi out of his mind.

"I was worryin' about you," he said. It was the truth, but not the whole truth - nonetheless, it was good enough.

Kazuichi turned to meet his gaze. "Worryin'?" he repeated.

"Yeah," said Fuyuhiko. "I mean, you didn't get back to me about Sonia, so I guess I assumed you were upset or somethin'. And when you take what happened this mornin' into account…"

Kazuichi nodded understandably. "Sorry 'bout that," he murmured. "But lemme tell ya right now that I'm fine. I'll live. Don't worry 'bout me."

"You don't look like it to me," Fuyuhiko pointed out.

"And neither do you. Hell, you look like a zombie."

Kazuichi probably had a point. But this wasn't about Fuyuhiko right now. Kazuichi's emotions required more attention and urgency.

Fuyuhiko sighed. He was going to make one more attempt to make Kazuichi spit it out. And if that failed too, he was going to be keeping a close eye on him to make sure he didn't try anything stupid.

He sighed. "Y'know… if anythin's botherin' you… you can always talk to me 'bout it, right?" he said. "I'm shit at givin' advice or anythin' like that, but… whatever it is, I'm sure I'll be able to understand."

Kazuichi responded to him with silence. He turned and stared at the ground, slowly swinging his legs back and forth.

"...Kazuichi?"

The taller boy murmured something unintelligible.

Fuyuhiko leaned a little closer to him. "Sorry, didn't catch that."

"...I'll tell you what's on my mind," Kazuichi said in a low voice. "But only if you promise you ain't gonna laugh at me, or think any less of me… or anythin' like that." Fuyuhiko saw that his body was beginning to tremble in fear.

"...I promise," Fuyuhiko responded after a moment. "I'm sure it can't be that bad."

Kazuichi shrugged. "I really do feel like I should tell you this, as your Soul Friend, but… I'm worried that if I tell you, we won't be Soul Friends anymore. And… I don't want that to happen." He took a shaky breath. "Please, man… just know that when I say what I'm gonna say, I don't want anythin' to change between us. I want us to stay friends - Soul Friends - and just… keep goin' and doin' what we've been doin', together."

 _Man, this really is startin' to sound like one of Natsumi's romance manga,_ Fuyuhiko thought, slightly amused. Was Kazuichi going to say what Fuyuhiko thought he was going to say? Were his feelings reciprocated? Was that why Kazuichi seemed to be avoiding him? It seemed likely, but then again, it could easily be something else.

Kazuichi had fallen silent again, nervously chewing his lip. He still wouldn't meet Fuyuhiko's gaze.

"...you gonna spit it out already or what?" Fuyuhiko growled impatiently.

"R-right, yeah, sorry…" Kazuichi took another deep breath. "Well… I know that this is hard to believe, and you'll probably hate me forever for this… but… y'know how I realised I never liked Sonia that way, right?"

Fuyuhiko nodded.

"Well, at around the same time I realised that… I-I realised somethin' else, too. And it's… I'm…" Tears had began to race down his cheeks, and before long the rest of his words were consumed by sobs. Kazuichi hid his face beneath his hands, his shoulders shuddering vigorously.

Fuyuhiko got the message at that point. Kazuichi was going through the very same thing that he was. He was crushing on Fuyuhiko, and this innocent-seeming fact could potentially change everything, forever.

"I know how it feels," Fuyuhiko stated quietly - so quietly that he was worried Kazuichi wouldn't catch it - but he did, and he looked up at Fuyuhiko with bewildered, tear-stained eyes. "I feel it too."

"Y-you can't be serious…" Kazuichi muttered in disbelief, shaking his head. "You don't mean to tell me… that my feelin's… are mutual?"

Fuyuhiko slowly nodded his head.

"F-fuck, man… I don't even know if I'm feelin' what I think I'm feelin'. For all I know it could be like how I felt about Sonia… but… this is different. Not just 'cuz you're a guy too, but…" He trailed off, his shoulders continuing to tremble, and it was clear that he was distraught.

And it was clear that this was no fairytale.

They were trapped in a killing game, locked inside the Funhouse, deprived of food, their days numbered. And even if they managed to escape the killing game, together, they had their families and Japanese society to face. They couldn't risk tarnishing their families' honour, or being so romantically dependent on each other, at all. The fear and self-hatred in Kazuichi's eyes told Fuyuhiko that he was thinking the same thing. Even if the feelings were mutual, entering a romantic relationship was too much of a risk.

For awhile, the only sounds to be heard on the third floor of Strawberry House were Kazuichi's sobs, which eventually quietened down into sniffles and hiccups. Fuyuhiko didn't cry - he was too tough for that - but there was still a sense of loss and despair deep within him, as though he'd found a source of happiness that was out of reach. Why couldn't he have crushed on a girl, like Akane, or Chiaki, or even Sonia? Or, even better, why couldn't Kazuichi have been a girl? And why couldn't this stupid crush have started to show itself after this whole killing game situation have come to an end? If it weren't for these factors, then Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi would've found this intense happiness in each other, maybe secured a future together if it all went well enough…

"A-Akane and Nekomaru…" Kazuichi mumbled.

"What 'bout them?" Fuyuhiko asked quietly.

"Th-they… I think they're together now." He smiled a little, happy that their two friends had found love in each other.

Fuyuhiko had to admit, it was a little weird that a human and a robot were dating now, even if Nekomaru had initially been human. But he was confident that the couple would make it work somehow. He never really pictured Akane to be the affectionate type anyway, so it wasn't as though she was going to kiss him or anything.

But still...

"...I don't understand," he murmured. "How can a human and a robot agree to date each other like that? Wouldn't it be seen as… weird? Impure?"

Kazuichi shrugged. "Dunno. But whatever the case, they seem really happy together. I saw 'em on the way back to Strawberry House earlier today. They were holdin' hands, Fuyuhiko. That can only mean one thing…"

"Fuck…" Fuyuhiko swallowed, a sudden realisation dawning on him. "Akane and Nekomaru… they really are brave people. Do they even give a shit about what other people would think? Do they even…" Fuyuhiko gritted his teeth. "Bet they don't have a highly-esteemed title to lose. Or fears that everyone will reject them. Or a bunch of asshats they know who'd beat the shit out of them."

"I… kinda figured that the Yakuza wouldn't approve of this…" said Kazuichi.

"Pfft. Like hell they would. At best they'd prolly beat the gay outta me and wed me off to some chick. At worst… I'd be stripped of my title as heir. Prolly disowned and kicked out too, for an extra kick in the balls."

"Shit, man…" Kazuichi gasped, wide-eyed with horror. "I… dunno what my parents would do. But I'm seriously afraid of findin' out."

Another silence, tense and constricting with so many thoughts weighing upon their minds. Judging by the look in Kazuichi's eyes, he seemed unsure, as though his earlier words were no longer completely true to him. Eventually, he sighed. "They… they don't have to find out, do they?" he murmured. "If we do decide to… y'know."

"'Course not," Fuyuhiko replied. "But we can't keep secrets forever. Someone will find out eventually, and it'll all go downhill from there."

"But… Nekomaru and Akane… what're they gonna do when they get outta here?"

"That's for them to worry 'bout, not you."

Kazuichi gently bit his lip. "I'm… happy with bein' Soul Friends with you, Fuyuhiko. So damn happy. But… there's somethin' missin'. And I… almost feel like givin' up on it all. This killin' game… it's drivin' me crazy, Fuyuhiko. I need somethin' to keep me stable, somethin' to keep me on my own two feet…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I-I want somethin' just like… just like what Nekomaru and Akane have. With you. But only 'til the end of the killin' game. And after we get outta here, we'll just go back to how we were before. No one will know, no one will judge us…"

"I dunno, Kazuichi," Fuyuhiko sighed. "What if I get killed? What would you do then?"

"I-I'll protect you!" Kazuichi blurted out. "I'll make sure nothin' happens to you! As long as we stick together… we should both be safe."

"Yeah, and what if a new motive calls for us to be separated?" Fuyuhiko argued. "Y'know, just like the Despair Disease motive?"

"You volunteered to stay at the hospital," Kazuichi pointed out. "I wanted to be at the motel 'cuz I was scared shitless of catchin' the disease. But this time, no matter what, I'll stay by your side! I'll make sure you don't die on me!"

Fuyuhiko squeezed his eye closed, holding back the tears that were moistening his eye. Kazuichi really was like Peko, in some ways… He rose to his feet, walked over to where Kazuichi sat on the swing beside him and gripped his shoulders tightly. "You'd better not sacrifice yourself for my sake," he growled. "I almost lost you once, and there's no way in hell I'm gonna lose sight of you for real. If anyone dares lay a finger on you, I'll kill 'em. Seriously, I will. I don't give two shits if it means I'll be executed - anyone who messes with my man and kills 'im will earn the true wrath of a Kuzuryuu."

He used his hands to grab hold of Kazuichi's, lacing their fingers together as his heart pounded within his ribcage. Once again, he resisted the urge to kiss the boy in front of him - this space was too open to risk such a thing, and even though everyone else were asleep (or so Fuyuhiko thought), there was always a good chance that someone could wander in at any moment.

"You… you sure you wanna do this?" Kazuichi asked uncertainly.

"S'worth a shot," Fuyuhiko replied. "Just… don't get too attached to me. We'll be endin' this when we get outta here and go home. Don't go dreamin' about livin' with me or anythin' like that."

Kazuichi nodded. "That's more than enough for me." He gazed at Fuyuhiko with a smile and a shine in his eyes. "Thanks…"

"S'not a problem." Fuyuhiko let go of his hands as he smiled back, a single tear rolling down his cheek. It had been decided. He and Kazuichi were dating now. It was only a temporary arrangement, but that was more than enough for him.

If Kazuichi had noticed the tear track on his cheek, he didn't say anything about it. "Must be real late now," he remarked instead. "Gonna have another crack at sleepin'?"

"Yeah…" Fuyuhiko failed to hold back his slight chuckle. "Think I'm all ready for bed. I don't have as much shit on my mind now."

"Same here," said Kazuichi as he stood up. "We gonna sleep together, or…?"

Fuyuhiko could sense his cheeks burning up as he glared at Kazuichi, annoyed. "It's way too fuckin' early to get in bed with each other," he pointed out. "'Sides, do we really need anyone seein' us and askin' questions? What kinda story would we have to make up to explain two guys sharin' a bed?"

"Figured you'd say somethin' like that," Kazuichi grinned. "Ah well, s'not that big a deal. I can always just hug my pillow instead."

"Fuckin'...!" Fuyuhiko's blush intensified, and Kazuichi chuckled lightly at his expense. Fuyuhiko managed to succeed in not laughing along with him this time.

"Well," Kazuichi began as he outstretched his hand towards Fuyuhiko's, which lay at his side. "Shall we?"

"I know where my damn room is," said Fuyuhiko indignantly. "I don't need a fuckin' escort." Nonetheless, he took Kazuichi's hand, and their fingers were laced together once again. Fuyuhiko swore that his face was an inferno as he and Kazuichi slowly, cautiously descended the stairs together, hand-in-hand. He anxiously glanced around, half-expecting one of the other boys to leave their room at any moment, but to his relief, the second floor was vacant, and it remained so even as he and Kazuichi headed towards their rooms.

Kazuichi, with his cheeks a slight pink, hesitantly let go of Fuyuhiko's hand and stood in front of his room, adjacent to Fuyuhiko's. "Well, I s'pose I'll see you tomorrow, Fuyuhiko," he said with a smile.

"G'night, Kazuichi," Fuyuhiko replied as Kazuichi disappeared into his room, closing the door behind him. Fuyuhiko did likewise shortly afterwards, slowly climbing into bed as he removed his eyepatch, lazily kicked off his shoes and slumped his head against the pillow.

He'd fallen asleep almost immediately with a small, grateful smile on his face.


	18. Chapter 18: The Fake Utopia

_This will be the last chapter posted in a short while, as I have finals coming up and my life will generally be a little more chaotic. Thus, this story is on a short hiatus. I hope you all understand!_

* * *

 **Chapter 18: The Fake Utopia**

Things hadn't been much easier since the two of them had agreed to be together. If anything, their new relationship wasn't that much different from their old one.

It was Day 3 of the Funhouse, and Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko were in the former's room, sitting side-by-side on the bed. The hunger pains had gotten a lot worse, but with Fuyuhiko beside him, keeping him company, they might as well be entirely nonexistent. And with Fuyuhiko with him and this brand-new love holding them together, it was so easy to forget that they were in any trouble at all.

Fuyuhiko shuffled a little closer to Kazuichi and gently pulled him slightly towards him, circling his arms around Kazuichi's torso and resting his head against his shoulder.

Kazuichi's breath hitched, his eyes wide in shock, his heart skipping a beat or two. "Wh-what're you doin'?"

"What, ya don't like it?" Fuyuhiko murmured.

"N-no, it's just…" Kazuichi swallowed. "I didn't really peg you as the affectionate type, is all."

He heard Fuyuhiko grunt in acknowledgement as he nuzzled his shoulder a little more. Kazuichi was blushing deeply by then, now finding himself unable to take his eyes off of Fuyuhiko. He never usually thought of Fuyuhiko as cute - his rough edges, foul mouth and Yakuza heritage all said otherwise - but at that moment, there was something… peaceful, youthful about the small smile on his face. It was the happiest Kazuichi had ever seen him, and knowing that Fuyuhiko was capable of being so happy caused him to drown, deeper and deeper into this love they shared, until they could live in blissful ignorance of everything else...

"You have a beautiful smile," he whispered, and as Fuyuhiko started, staring up at him with bewilderment in his eye and his face coloured scarlet, Kazuichi mentally slapped himself. _Idiot_! he thought. _He's prolly gonna take offence to that!_

"D-don't say saccharine shit like that," Fuyuhiko said as he let go of Kazuichi and turned away from him to hide his blush.

"You're the one who's actin' all sugary and cuddly!" Kazuichi retorted.

Fuyuhiko sighed. "I weirded you out, didn't I?"

"No! ...okay, maybe a little."

"Well guess what, I-I actually kinda like… y'know." Fuyuhiko briefly wrapped his arms around himself as though to prove a point. "I mean, Peko and I… cuddled sometimes…"

Kazuichi gaped. "Y-you and Peko were a…?"

"Fuck no!" Fuyuhiko snapped, his eye narrowed impatiently. "She's just a sister to me. Nothin' more than that."

"Oh. Well, I mean, you two were pretty damn close, weren't you?"

"Yeah…" Fuyuhiko met Kazuichi's gaze with his own forlorn one. "Still miss her…"

"Bet you do," Kazuichi murmured sympathetically as he pulled Fuyuhiko back towards him in an attempt at a hug.

Fuyuhiko seemed to accept his advance, for he loosely wrapped his arms around Kazuichi, who did likewise.

Kazuichi grinned. "Man, you really do like this stuff," he teased gently.

"Don't remind me," Fuyuhiko grumbled as the blush returned to his cheeks.

Kazuichi chuckled. "H-hey, uh, if we're just… cuddlin' like this… then we'd have to do some kissin' too, right? I mean, that's what all couples do."

"Tch. Slow down, Kazuichi. We don't need to go through every milestone in one day, y'know."

"I-I wasn't gonna suggest that we fuck! What the hell!?"

"Yeah, there're at least three reasons why that ain't gonna happen, just so you know," Fuyuhiko told him. "One, we're obviously starvin' to death in here, and I'm sure we're both dealin' with real shitty hunger pains. Two, we're high school students - too young to be doin' that kinda thing at all."

"Then let's wait 'til we're-"

"Three, I have no interest in that kinda shit. If anythin', it really does gross me the hell out and I'd rather not do it."

Kazuichi's eyes widened in shock. "Y-you're not into sex?" he asked. "I thought all teenage guys were! I mean, who wouldn't wanna indulge in their-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm not a normal teenage guy, I get it," Fuyuhiko interrupted dryly. "It's just… I dunno. The idea of doin' it with anyone has always really… put me off." He lowered his head, almost as though he were ashamed. "I know it's hard for you to understand, and I'm sorry if I upset you or anythin'. But that's just how I am."

This was yet another unexpected aspect of Fuyuhiko's personality that Kazuichi had not seen coming. A Yakuza who had no interest in sex? That was virtually unheard of. It made Kazuichi wonder what other surprises Fuyuhiko held.

"It's fine, man," Kazuichi assured him. "If you ain't comfy with it, we ain't gonna do it, 'kay? Same with the kissin' thing."

"Thanks…" Fuyuhiko looked up at him and smiled. "But yeah, ah, about the kissin'..." He blushed again. "I wanna kiss you. I wanna kiss the fuck outta you, Kazu. If you're 'kay with that, of course."

Kazu. The affectionate nickname resounded in his head, and Kazuichi was beginning to feel lightheaded, as though he were floating in midair. He brushed a finger against his lips as his face burned, and his only thought was _holy shit he wants to kiss me._

"You… you alright there?" Fuyuhiko hesitantly asked him. "Sorry if I weirded you out or-"

Kazuichi's instincts hurled into overdrive, and, without even giving Fuyuhiko a chance to finish, he seized his wrist and kissed him, full on the mouth, closing his eyes as he savoured the moment between them. For a moment or two, Fuyuhiko was frozen, likely in shock, but he quickly geared himself into action, his lips pushing against Kazuichi's as a hand roughly tugged at his hair.

It was not an experienced kiss in the slightest, but to Kazuichi, that didn't matter. It felt as though nothing else in the world mattered or even existed - the searing hunger pains, the possibility that they were going to die, the fact that they'd lost seven of their classmates in this killing game, the fact that they were even in a killing game at all. All that he knew was that he was kissing Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, who'd been his closest companion for awhile now, and he didn't want this moment to end.

It ended far too soon for his liking, however, as the need to breathe began to make itself known, and Fuyuhiko pulled away, his eye narrowed as a heated blush covered his entire face.

"Y-you shoulda given me some kinda warnin'," he breathed. "Bastard."

Kazuichi smirked, pleased with himself nonetheless. "You're welcome."

Fuyuhiko mock-glared at him, like a defiant child who hadn't gotten his way. "I was s'posed to initiate the first one," he growled.

"What, you're surprised that I took the lead?"

"No, I'm fuckin' pleased 'bout it," Fuyuhiko snarked, though the smirk on his face indicated that he was being more playful than anything.

"Well, you can go ahead and initiate the second one," said Kazuichi as he leaned back on the bed, his hands placed next to his sides. "I'll be waitin'."

"You're too damn easy," Fuyuhiko muttered as he moved towards him again. He narrowed his eye in concentration as he placed his hands on Kazuichi's shoulders, and just as Kazuichi was beginning to think that Fuyuhiko was taking way too long, the texture of soft lips and a tug at his hair had returned in an instant, catching him off-guard. As he began to kiss back, Fuyuhiko wrapped his arms around him, pulling him flush against his small frame, and Kazuichi sunk even deeper into the soft, perfect feelings of warmth and affection that he'd yearned to experience for so long-

Fuyuhiko roughly pushed him away as suddenly as he'd kissed him, his eye widened as though a sudden realisation had hit him.

Kazuichi felt cold without Fuyuhiko's arms around him, without his lips roughly colliding against his, without the mutual happiness they were both experiencing in the heat of the moment. He felt as though he were being pulled upwards, out of the dangerous, addicting waters he was drowning within.

"Kazuichi." Fuyuhiko's voice was quiet, rough, hardly affectionate at all. "I- we're goin' too far into this."

"Whaddaya mean?" Kazuichi asked, his heart sinking in dread. Were they going to break up already? They hadn't even lasted 24 hours together.

"We're lettin' our guards down. Ignorin' the situation we're in, puttin' ourselves under an illusion that everything's okay." Fuyuhiko swallowed. "We haven't reached the "happily ever after" stage yet. Hell, we prolly never will. And we're still in a killin' game here, don't you forget that."

"Wh-what're you talkin' 'bout?"

"We're runnin' away from our problems and just divin' into escapism. We're bein' weaklings, Kazuichi. We haven't been doin' what we should've been doin' this whole time - tacklin' this situation head-on." He sighed. "I… I almost forgot about everythin' else just then. And I had the feelin' that everythin' will be okay as long as I'm with you. But that's not how the world works. Just bein' with someone you care about doesn't make all your problems go away."

Kazuichi had surfaced by then. The world around him had become clearer again, crisper. He could see everything, recognise the risks, recognise that they were in a horrible situation. Fuyuhiko was right. He'd gone in too deep - they both had. No matter how many romance novels had tried to convince him otherwise, love wasn't the ultimate solution to everything.

"Yeah," he murmured quietly. "You're right. But still… what can we do?"

Fuyuhiko placed a finger to his chin. "Well, there is the Final Dead Room…" he said slowly. "You know what Monokuma said 'bout it - if you go in there and successfully beat the game or task, you've got yourself a clue in gettin' out of here."

"No!" Kazuichi automatically protested. "There's gotta be another way. You stopped me from goin' in there, and now you wanna go in there yourself!?"

"Your thing was different," Fuyuhiko stiffly pointed out.

"I know, but…" Kazuichi bit his lip. "There has to be another way. I… I don't want you to sacrifice yourself for me!"

Then there was silence. Kazuichi buried his face in his hands, feeling as though he were losing all hope. He was going to lose Fuyuhiko now, one way or another. He was going to be placed in the very same position Fuyuhiko had been from the second trial onwards. He was going to lose the person most important to him, and he'd be alone - again.

But… was Monokuma really going to let them all starve to death in this Funhouse? Wouldn't that be an anticlimax for him? Kazuichi couldn't pinpoint exactly why or how, but somehow the thought of Monokuma willingly letting them all die and leaving no survivors seemed… off.

"Y'know…" he spoke up quietly, looking up into Fuyuhiko's eye. "I don't think Monokuma's actually gonna let us all starve to death in here."

Fuyuhiko snorted in disbelief. "Now's not the time for jokin' around," he chided.

"I'm serious!" Kazuichi protested. "I… I dunno how, but… somehow, to me, it'd make more sense for Monokuma to want the killings and the class trials and shit to carry on. If we all died in here, then we'd basically be lettin' him down. You see what I mean?"

"Huh… so Monokuma would kill one of us himself, just to spice shit up," Fuyuhiko realised. "Ain't that right?"

Kazuichi nodded. "A-and he'd frame it on one of us, too," he continued. "And a class trial would still happen… and one of us would end up bein' executed."

Fuyuhiko nodded. "Guess this is a time where I really can't afford to let you outta my sight," he said. "I'm not as good a bodyguard as Peko ever was, but… I'll do my best to protect you."

Kazuichi smiled a little. "Right," he said. "But… what if someone else does die? And if one of us are framed-"

"We've got each other as an alibi," Fuyuhiko reminded him. "If we stick together, then Monokuma won't be able to successfully frame either of us."

Kazuichi swallowed and nodded. "But that means one or two people will have to die…"

"I know. But we can't really prevent that. Someone's gonna have to serve as a sacrifice…"

"So we just… wait?"

Fuyuhiko nodded. "It's the best course of action I can think of."

* * *

As the day began to draw to a close, Kazuichi realised that perhaps now would be his best shot at making an effort to befriend Gundam. While the Ultimate Breeder still unnerved him as a result of the eccentric way he dressed and spoke, whether he had feelings for Sonia or not was now irrelevant, as Kazuichi no longer had feelings for her himself. He hadn't exactly been fair to Gundam, he thought, and he'd brushed him off almost entirely because he liked the same girl as he did.

That was why, upon spotting Gundam occupying one of the loveseats in Strawberry House, Kazuichi had nervously sat himself down on the one beside him. "Hey."

Gundam swiveled his head towards him, almost defensively, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. Kazuichi's heart raced, and for a moment the possibility that Gundam was going to jinx him filled his mind. At least Fuyuhiko was in his crummy room nearby, able to hear if anything went wrong. "What business do you have with me, mortal?" Gundam responded coldly.

"I-I just wanted to let you know that I'm not interested in Sonia anymore," Kazuichi squeaked, his words spilling out in a rush. He forced himself to meet Gundam's unwavering gaze, and it occurred to him that holy shit, this guy really was freaky.

"Is that so?" said Gundam. "How am I to believe that this is not an elaborate ruse to let my guard down?"

"It's not!" Kazuichi insisted. "I confessed to her yesterday, she rejected me and now I've realised that I don't like her that way anymore! She's all yours, really!"

There was silence for a moment. Gundam closed his eyes, seemingly in concentration or thought. "The gods say that your words are the truth," he said quietly. "So I suppose I shall believe them."

Kazuichi sighed in relief. "Thank you," he said. "I… I'm sorry for all the shit I said 'bout you in the past. I gotta admit, it was all for a really stupid reason."

Gundam suddenly opened his eyes wide, apparently in shock. His scarf shifted slightly, as though the hamsters within it had been shuffling around nervously. "Do you really believe so?" he asked quietly.

Kazuichi nodded. "I just… I just wanna give you another chance. Maybe you're not so bad after all. But hey, who knows?"

Gundam shrugged. "I suppose I shall allow you to serve as my companion for the moment," he said. "But be warned - prolonged exposure to my deadly aura could result in deeply unfortunate side effects."

Please don't tell me he's gonna kill me, Kazuichi thought as he nodded, dazed.

There was silence for a short while. It was somewhat unsettling, especially since this was Gundam that Kazuichi had chosen to spend the rest of the day with, and yet it was somehow oddly comforting as well. Was Gundam normally such a silent individual, or was this simply a result of the stress that the killing game had wrought upon him?

"So," Kazuichi eventually began, as he figured that he was the one who was going to have to begin a new conversation, "d'you like Sonia?"

Gundam pulled his scarf up slightly, barely enough to conceal his face, just before Kazuichi could miss the faint blush on his cheeks. "That is a question that exceeds a barrier of companionship that you have not surpassed yet," he scolded.

"Oh." Kazuichi blinked, stunned. "Sorry 'bout that, didn't know it was that personal…"

"It is quite alright," said Gundam as he slowly pushed his scarf back down, his cheeks now a pasty grey once more. "But, will you permit me to remark upon a finding that the gods have discovered for me?"

"U-um… yeah?" What was this all about all of a sudden?

Gundam straightened his posture and gazed curiously at Kazuichi. "Yourself and the foul-mouthed one have formed a close kinship as of late, have you not?"

The first thing Kazuichi thought of was the horrible possibility that Gundam had discovered his relationship with Fuyuhiko, and for a moment his blood ran cold. But he instantly snapped back to his senses, realising that it was more likely that Gundam was simply commenting on their friendship.

"Yeah," he replied. "What 'bout it?"

"I simply find it a little peculiar," said Gundam. "Have I been cast under a dreadful illusion? I knew for a fact that the two of you were mortal enemies, biting at each other like angry hellhounds. And yet, now, every time I come across your form, he accompanies you. What has happened?"

Kazuichi shrugged. Gundam did kind of have a point, though - how long had it been since that fateful day in the hospital? A week? Two? It was unbelievably easy to lose track of time on this island, especially while they were trapped in the Funhouse, but Kazuichi was sure that he and Fuyuhiko couldn't have been friends for very long. And yet, the day in the hospital felt like a year ago…

"Times change," he replied to Gundam. "It's true, Fuyuhiko and I used to… dislike each other, I guess. But we get along way better now." He smiled. "He's the best friend I could ever have. I never thought I'd say this about a guy like him, but… yeah." Of course, there was more he wanted to say about Fuyuhiko - way more - but there was no way he was going to let anyone else know of their romantic relationship. He could certainly picture Gundam sneering at him upon the discovery.

"I see," said Gundam, who was now staring into space, lost in thought. "And here I thought your auras were incompatible. But I suppose you are right - times change. You are presently taking the time to converse with a Supreme Overlord such as I, after all. That is not something the Kazuichi of an earlier timeline would ever do."

He was right. Kazuichi had changed a lot - for the better, too, he hoped. He'd come to admire and respect Fuyuhiko to the point where he was now his boyfriend, and now he was already gaining a friend in Gundam. And he knew now, as he and Gundam spent the next hour casually chatting about whatever came to mind, that he felt a lot more relaxed around the Ultimate Breeder, and that he really was a decent guy.

And yet, there was something… off about Gundam. Kazuichi couldn't pinpoint what it was, exactly, but he had a feeling that Gundam was planning something - for better or for worse.

And as the two bade each other goodnight and Kazuichi staggered into his room, he cursed himself for not asking about it during their chat.


	19. Chapter 19: The Future

_My exams are over and done with! Yay! ^_^_

 _This chapter was originally going to be quite a bit longer, but I had to cut it short because I wanted to keep the chapter lengths consistent and give our boys an equal chance to shine. Had I decided to add the other stuff planned to be in this chapter, it'd be about 5000-6000 words long, which is a fair bit longer than chapters usually are!_

 _As always, I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 19: The Future**

"So…" Kazuichi slumped down onto his bed, exhausted. "Sleepin' arrangements."

"Get off," Fuyuhiko, who was standing beside the bed, muttered as he irritably crossed his arms. "I told you, we ain't gonna be sleepin' together. Just go sleep in your room like normal, I ain't gonna be joinin' you."

"You also told me you were gonna protect me," Kazuichi responded indignantly.

"Yeah, but we don't need to be fuckin' sleepin' together," Fuyuhiko argued. "'Sides, we're both in the crummy rooms, ain't we? If shit goes down, we should both be able to hear it pretty damn well."

"I dunno, man." Kazuichi bit his lip. "What if the killer decides to go stealth? What if either of us die durin' the night, and no one even knows 'til mornin'?"

"Listen, Kazu, I can't protect you while I'm sleepin'. 'Sides, d'you want the killer - or anyone for that matter - to find out 'bout us? 'Cuz I sure as hell don't."

Kazuichi sighed. "I guess you have a point," he said. "I just hope we'll both actually wake up tomorrow…"

"Everythin' will be fine," said Fuyuhiko. "We just gotta stick it out for as long as we can."

"I guess…"

Kazuichi slowly sat up, and Fuyuhiko sat down to rest on the bed beside him. He took Kazuichi's hand in his own, curling their fingers around each other. He glanced upwards in order to meet Kazuichi's gaze. "Rest easy tonight," he told him gently. "You're gonna need a lot of sleep for that Monokuma Tai Chi shit tomorrow."

"Y-yeah," Kazuichi agreed, tightening the grip he held on Fuyuhiko's hand. "I'll do my best. It's gonna be tough, but…"

"Good." Fuyuhiko slowly released his grip on Kazuichi, before moving off of the bed and heading towards the door. "G'night, Kazu."

"G'night, Fuyuhiko."

A cold sense of dread washed over Fuyuhiko as he opened the door and slumped out of Kazuichi's room. Now that he knew that Monokuma may very well kill him or Kazuichi himself, his paranoia had spiked a little, and he couldn't help but feel like a jerk for leaving Kazuichi alone in that room. What if something did happen to either of them tonight? What if Kazuichi got killed, and Fuyuhiko'd done nothing to prevent it? If Kazuichi died… Fuyuhiko would be held accountable for yet another death.

Going to sleep tonight was _not_ going to be easy.

"It is quite late, foul-mouthed one," a deep voice announced just as he'd stepped across the hall to his own room.

Fuyuhiko stopped in his tracks, swiftly turning his head towards the source of the sound - the living area. Sure enough, one of the loveseats was occupied by none other than Gundam, his arms crossed as he stared Fuyuhiko down with slitted eyes.

"No shit," Fuyuhiko spat, cautiously trying to avoid raising his voice too loudly. "I don't see you makin' an effort to sleep."

"Believe me, I have tried," said Gundam. "But alas, there were a number of disturbances that have prevented me from falling into slumber."

"I can believe that," Fuyuhiko admitted. "Tryin' to sleep in this hellhole without food or water fuckin' sucks."

"Is that so?" said Gundam, quirking an eyebrow. "Explain your reasons for trespassing Kazuichi Souda's territory."

A brief pause. An irritated twitch of his eye.

"Why're you so concerned 'bout that all of a sudden?" Fuyuhiko asked as he cautiously began to make his way over to the living area. He couldn't help the way his increased frustration with Gundam caused his voice to rise in volume, and he didn't want to keep Kazuichi awake, especially since he'd told him to get a good night's sleep.

The purple scarf concealing Gundam's neck shifted slightly, as though the hamsters that resided within had shuffled around a little. "See, even the Four Dark Devas of Destruction can sense it," he said.

"Wh-what the fuck are you talkin' about?" Fuyuhiko snapped, almost shouting now. His legs felt weak, as though the bones holding him upright had suddenly disappeared completely.

"There is a mysterious aura that is surrounding the both of you," Gundam explained. "An aura that is unexpectedly thick, too, given the history that you have shared on this island. It is the aura that is only sighted when two individuals have trusted their fragile souls with one another." He uncrossed his arms and placed his hands in his lap. "I have sensed it around Kazuichi Souda earlier today, and I am now sensing it around you as well."

Fuyuhiko's breath hitched as the reality of Gundam's words sunk in. He knew. He hadn't expected him to be so intricately observant of the other students, but there he was, essentially telling Fuyuhiko that he knew that he was dating Kazuichi. Had they been too obvious? Surely everyone else knew they were at least close friends - Akane sure noticed - but there was no way they could know that there was something more between them - right?

He struggled to meet Gundam's gaze, fearful of the look in his eyes. Gundam was disgusted by this, wasn't he? What was he going to do about it? Was he going to kill Fuyuhiko, right there in the living area? Was he going to tell the others?

"There is no need to fear… Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu," Gundam spoke up quietly, as though he'd read his mind. "I am aware that such bonds are widely condemned in the human world. But, contrary to popular belief, the participation in such bonds does not send you down to the fiery depths of Hell upon your death."

Fuyuhiko blinked, confused, as his exhausted mind tried to make sense of Gundam's jargon. "Y-you're… okay with it?" he gasped, stunned.

His suspicions were confirmed with a nod of Gundam's head. "I will not hesitate to admit that this is rather surprising," he said. "But, on the whole, the genders of those involved in human affairs such as these is no concern to me."

Fuyuhiko sighed with relief. "Well, I'm glad," he said. "But for the love of God, don't go blabbin' about this to anyone else. You might be cool with it, but the others…"

Gundam nodded again. "Understood," he replied. "But I must ask something of you, too - a reminder, perhaps."

"Yeah?"

Gundam rose to his feet and slowly strode towards his room. "Tread carefully within these troubled waters," he advised. "Do not forget that we are all in a dangerous environment fraught with deadly demons. Choose your actions very, very carefully." Upon reaching his room, he carefully turned the handle and opened the door. "It would be rather unfortunate if anything happened to you or your paramour."

He stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him before Fuyuhiko could reply.

* * *

 _A sunny day had graced them for the first time in a short while, and the cafeteria was practically abandoned in favour of the courtyard. The sun beamed down upon the collective of students spread out in the courtyard, all split up in their own little groups, chatting amongst themselves as they ate their lunches. In the centre of the area, a fountain was quietly whirring away as the sparkling water rained down into the large basin._

 _Fuyuhiko was sitting on a bench beneath a large tree in the far left corner of the area, with only Kazuichi for company. He groaned as he glared down at his untouched bento box, as though it was the source of his frustration. It was so loud here - the chorus of shouts and giggles around them were not helping his oncoming headache at all. He cursed under his breath, already missing the cool, cloudy days he'd grown accustomed to._

 _"Somethin' the matter, babe?" Kazuichi spoke up, peering at him curiously. "You haven't even started eatin' yet."_

 _"Mmmph." Fuyuhiko sighed. "I dunno, I'm just… thinkin'."_

 _"'Bout what?"_

 _"The future."_

 _Kazuichi unsuccessfully held back a chuckle. "Gettin' philosophical now?" he teased gently._

 _Fuyuhiko shot him a glare. "Haven't you been listenin' in your classes lately? All the teachers have been harpin' on about it. I mean, this is our final year at school, so… plannin' our futures is kinda important."_

 _"You're startin' to sound like Taka," Kazuichi sighed as he leaned back a little, cushioning his head against his arms. "'Sides, ain't it obvious what I'm gonna be doin' in the future? I ain't gonna stop fixin' or buildin' stuff."_

 _"I s'pose that's true," said Fuyuhiko. "Far as I know, someone losin' interest in their talent and pursuin' a different career path ain't that common."_

 _Kazuichi nodded. "I know Leon wants to be a rockstar or somethin' like that," he said, "And he's the Ultimate Baseball Star."_

 _"Yeah, I think you told me 'bout that." Fuyuhiko extracted a riceball from his bento box and chewed into it, figuring that he might as well eat_ something _before lunchtime ended._

 _"So what 'bout the future are you thinkin' of, anyway?" Kazuichi asked curiously as he bit into a slice of chicken. "You're gonna take over the Kuzuryuu syndicate or some shit after you graduate, right?"_

 _"Somethin' like that," Fuyuhiko affirmed. "But what I'm wonderin' 'bout is… y'know…_ us _."_

 _That final word hung in the air like a bad omen. What was going to become of them after they graduated? There was no way they could continue to maintain the secrecy of their relationship, let alone the relationship at all, especially if they were going to be attending different universities. Sure, they could keep in touch online, but since their schedules would be packed to the brim, there'd barely be any time for even that. It was a worrying thought that Fuyuhiko would rather not dwell upon. The mere fact that he and Kazuichi would have to distance from each other at all saddened him. And this distance that would inevitably occur between him and his friends had been part of the reason why he'd been so standoffish towards his classmates to begin with._

 _"Gotta admit, I sometimes think 'bout that too," Kazuichi admitted as he swallowed his slice of chicken and held up another with his chopsticks. "But it's prolly best not to dwell on it too much. We've still got like 5 months 'til we graduate. We just gotta enjoy this while it lasts, don't we?"_

 _"I s'pose that's true," said Fuyuhiko. "But I'm always anticipatin' graduation, what I'll do after that, all that shit, and yet… it always feels like somethin's missin'."_

 _Kazuichi set his bento box down beside him for a moment in order to sling an arm around Fuyuhiko's shoulder. "I feel ya, babe," he admitted. "If I had my way, I'd spend my future with you without any worries. But I guess the world's just kinda unfair like that." He sighed. "But… I hope we'll at least stay friends after we go our separate ways. I mean, I really like you more than a friend, that's true, but more importantly… you've always been a valuable friend to me. And I don't want that to ever change."_

 _Fuyuhiko smiled upon hearing those words. "Yeah…" he murmured quietly. "As long as we stay friends… that's all that really matters. You're the first person I ever got close to besides Peko and Natsumi, so…"_

 _Kazuichi nodded as he gently pulled Fuyuhiko close to him, allowing him to rest against the side of his body. "I'll send you pictures of everything I'll ever build," he promised._

 _Fuyuhiko chuckled softly as he placed his head against his boyfriend's shoulder. "Never change, Kazu. Never change."_

* * *

Upon awakening, it took Fuyuhiko a few moments to recognise the difference between reality and fantasy. After a short while, he floated back down to the present, reminding himself that no, he and Kazuichi hadn't escaped the killing game, and no, he was not at Hope's Peak Academy. Disappointment washed over him as he opened his eye to the darkness of one of the two pink crummy rooms in Strawberry House.

He didn't move, instead remaining in his position on the bed, lying down as he stared up at the overhead ceiling. Despite his efforts not to, he couldn't help but dwell upon the words exchanged between him and Kazuichi in the dream. Their futures… Kazuichi becoming a mechanic, and Fuyuhiko going on to lead the Kuzuryuu Clan… the promise that they'd remain friends, despite the physical distance between them… the chilled-out, easygoing affection that the dream Kazuichi had given him…

It all felt so real. He could still feel the ghost of an arm around his shoulder, as though Kazuichi was lying right beside him.

What did this dream even mean? It felt so good, so hopeful, yet some elements of reality remained - such as the possibility of Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi breaking up after they graduated from Hope's Peak Academy. Still, compared to their current situation, it was such an idealised fantasy that it hurt. Was this a consequence of Fuyuhiko diving back into escapism? Was he drowning in the waters of escape again?

With a grunt, he carefully rolled out of bed, donned his eyepatch, blazer and tie, and did the best he could to eliminate the creases in his clothing. The room lacked any mirrors, so Fuyuhiko was left to blindly comb his hair and hope for the best. Fortunately, given how short his hair was, combing it only took a couple of seconds anyway.

When he'd put on his shoes and stumbled out into the living area, he was surprised to find that it was only 5:26 A.M, according to the large, pink wall clock that rested between the two loveseats. The Monokuma Tai Chi session wasn't to begin until 7, so he had about an hour and a half to kill.

As he sat down on one of the loveseats, he realised that the pain in his joints wasn't as intense as it had been the day before. In fact, in general he felt as though he'd had the best sleep in a short while. He sighed and shook his head - he was still engulfed in delirium over that stupid dream, wasn't he?

Then again, he figured, it could somehow give him some kind of clue in regards to their current situation.

So he closed his eye again, finding that he could recall the details of the courtyard unusually easily. He remembered the fountain in the centre of the area, and the benches that surrounded it. He remembered the other students - some of whom he recognised from the killing game, but most being complete strangers - all eating and socialising like normal kids. He remembered the large tree that he and Kazuichi had chosen to sit under. But what he remembered most was Kazuichi's sharp-toothed smile that accompanied his sincere words about his hopes for the future. The very memory sent jolts of electricity coursing through Fuyuhiko's veins. The future… if they could all make it off of this island, a happy future was theirs for the taking. They could all follow their dreams, work on their talents, remain friends with each other. Maybe they could even graduate from Hope's Peak Academy, for real-

And that was when it dawned on him, as sudden as a strike to the chest.

Maybe that dream he had wasn't a dream at all. Maybe it was… a memory.

Before Fuyuhiko could dwell on these thoughts any longer, a sudden, ear-piercing sound assaulted his senses, causing him to jump and cry out in shock. Glancing upwards, he saw that the wall clock was now shuddering violently as it wailed an intensely loud RRRRIIIIIIIIIIING! His instincts hurled into overdrive, and he jumped to his feet and took the clock out of the little stand it rested on, scrabbling for something, anything, that would shut it up. It felt surprisingly heavy in his thin arms, which weren't responding to it well if the bout of pain within them was any indication.

There'd better be some fuckin' button on this damn thing, he thought, gritting his teeth.

When Kazuichi's scream erupted from down the hall, Fuyuhiko felt as though his ears were going to bleed at any moment. The sensory overload, combined with his hunger pains and the weight of the clock, were making it downright unbearable for him to work on silencing the alarm. The bones in his legs felt as though they were going to cave in at any moment.

"Dude!" Kazuichi was by his side in an instant, and he was amazed that he'd even appeared so quickly. "Wh-what the fuck's goin' on!?"

"You're good with machines and shit, right!?" Fuyuhiko shouted over the incessant noise, his patience rapidly crumbling. "So you should be able to shut this damn thing up!"

"What is this ungodly racket?" Gundam boomed as he raced up the stairs and into the living area, his scarf trailing behind him. "Truly, this is an intensely catastrophic scene!"

 _"This fuckin' clock started ringin' and I need your fuckin' help to turn it off!"_

As if on cue, the clock suddenly stopped shaking in Fuyuhiko's hands, and the third floor of Strawberry House was caked in silence. The three boys exchanged glances.

"Thank fuck," Fuyuhiko muttered between heavy breaths as he cautiously returned the clock to its place on the wall. "Thought it was gonna kill me, tryin' to turn it off."

"What the hell was that all about!?" Kazuichi cried, roughly tugging at the braid in his hair. "I just had to wake up early for nothin'!"

"Shh." Gundam placed a finger to his lips. "Do you hear something?"

Fuyuhiko strained his ears in search of the sound that Gundam was referring to. It was difficult to make out, but he caught the sound of subtle rumbling. "Yeah," he replied. "The fuck's goin' on now?"

"I-I don't hear anythin'!" Kazuichi announced. "What-" He paused as the rumbling grew louder - so much louder that it rivaled the pink clock in terms of volume. "FUCK!" He buried his face in his hands in despair. "I-is this an earthquake!? This… this whole building's gonna collapse, r-right!?"

Fuyuhiko placed his hands over his ears, which now felt as though they were going to explode. It wasn't much of an improvement, however, as he could still hear the trembling infrastructure clear as day. Looking around, though, he couldn't see any parts of the Funhouse shuddering, and the ground was steady beneath his feet.

He was able to make out a muffled-sounding scream, and the next thing he knew, someone had dived behind him, gripping his shoulders like a lifeline. Now distracted, he let his arms back down to his sides and turned his head to see that Kazuichi, predictably, had been the one to grab him. His eyes were wide with fright, and all the colour seemed to had drained from his face. His hands trembled against Fuyuhiko's shoulders. In front of them, Gundam's hamsters, themselves frightened by what was happening around them, had scurried out of Gundam's scarf and into his open palms. Gundam was trying his hardest to calm them down by murmuring platitudes to them, but despite his talent and efforts, they didn't have much of an effect, as the hamsters continued to squeak restlessly.

"Kazuichi…" said Fuyuhiko as his cheeks warmed in embarrassment at the sudden contact, "stop… clingin' to me…!"

The rumbling continued, and by then Kazuichi's fingernails - which sorely needed a trim, Fuyuhiko realised - were digging so deeply into his shoulders that he knew he was going to be left with marks embedded within them, regardless of the protection his clothing provided. Fuyuhiko deliberately avoided Gundam's gaze, knowing that he was quite likely finding amusement out of this awkward, awkward scene. Especially now that he knew that they were dating…

And then, the rumbling suddenly ceased.

Kazuichi slowly loosened his grip on Fuyuhiko, before letting go of him entirely. He glanced around at his surroundings, bewildered, as he continued to shudder a little. "What… what was that?" he murmured shakily.

"I am ashamed to say that I do not know," Gundam replied as he did his best to soothe his hamsters. "However, it is a relief that the three of us are alright. I do hope that we have not suffered any fatalities."

"Yeah, I hope everyone over at Grape House are okay," Fuyuhiko agreed. He turned his gaze towards the hall. "I guess Nagito and Nekomaru are still asleep, huh? How the fuck did they sleep through that shit?"

Gundam shrugged. "It would be best not to disturb their slumber," he said. "They do not need to be awakened at this time."

"Yeah, it's too early," Kazuichi agreed. "And speakin' of, I'm goin' back to sleep. Wake me up when it's time for Monokuma Tai Chi or whatever."

"Sure, whatever you say, Kazuichi," Fuyuhiko called after him, rolling his eye as he watched Kazuichi amble back to his room.

"Perhaps we must follow suit," Gundam advised. "You do require a more fulfilling rest."

Fuyuhiko shook his head. "I ain't tired," he said. "Hell, it feels like I've slept longer than every other mornin'."

Gundam sighed. "As you wish," he said. "Nonetheless, I will be retiring to my lair for a short while. Please, do not put your energy to waste."

Fuyuhiko nodded. "You… you rest easy too."

Gundam nodded in acknowledgement as he gently returned his hamsters to their cozy abode within his scarf, before striding down to his own room, leaving Fuyuhiko alone in the living area once more. He sighed as he re-claimed his spot on the loveseat. Right now, it was a matter of waiting to ensure that all of their companions were okay.


	20. Chapter 20: The Sacrifice

_This chapter is admittedly a little on the short side, and I apologise for that. It is sort of an extension of chapter 19, though, so yeah._

 _There is also a fair bit of canonical material that's been left out of this chapter to avoid redundancy. I have tried my best to touch on as many scenes as I could, though. Hopefully I did an okay job._

* * *

 **Chapter 20: The Sacrifice**

 _Ding dong, bing bong._

The sudden noise that sounded in Kazuichi's room awakened him instantly, and his eyes blinked open, immediately in high alert. He quickly, yet cautiously, sat up as the yellow monitor flickered on, and Monokuma appeared on the screen. Had he overslept? He couldn't have missed Monokuma Tai Chi… right?

"A body has been discovered!" Monokuma cheerfully announced.

Kazuichi's breath hitched as he scrambled out of bed, ignoring the pain in his joints as he hurriedly put his jumpsuit and sneakers back on. No. He had to have misheard the announcement. No one had died. No one had died. He was going to go out there, and everyone would be perfectly fine…

As he dove out of his room, the first thing he noticed was that the living area was empty, and, looking around, he couldn't see anyone else at all. He choked back a sob, tugging the front strands of his hair in distress. He was all alone now, wasn't he? He was the last one standing, and everyone else had died…

"Kazuichi!" a voice called out, and Kazuichi looked up to see Fuyuhiko running towards him. He stopped once he reached Kazuichi, glancing at him with concern in his eye. "I'm okay. I'm still alive. No need to worry."

Kazuichi hastily blinked away the tears in his eyes. "Fuyuhiko…" He gulped. "I'm glad you're okay, but… what 'bout the others?"

Fuyuhiko shrugged. "Obviously someone's dead," he murmured. "So we just gotta check Grape House and make sure Hajime and the girls are all okay. Maybe find the body of whoever died, too."

Kazuichi nodded, biting his lip. "W-we've both got alibis, yeah?" he asked.

Fuyuhiko anxiously glanced down at the floor. "I dunno…" he quietly replied. "We've both been in our rooms for the past half hour or some shit. I guess it depends on where the body even is…"

"So let's go to Grape House, then," Kazuichi proposed.

Fuyuhiko nodded in agreement.

"It appears that it has happened again," Gundam solemnly spoke up as he approached the two before they could head off to Grape House. "Another innocent soul has been taken… and soon, another soul of darkness will be sent down to the fiery pits of the Underworld."

Kazuichi turned his gaze towards Gundam with sweating palms. "If… if Sonia's the one who got killed… I'll make sure her killer pays for the shit they've done."

A flicker of worry flashed in Gundam's eyes for a split-second. Then he sighed. "Whoever it was that we have lost, I do hope that their death was not in vain," he said. "Regardless, the fact that they have died is most certainly a tragic circumstance that none of us wished to have happened."

The trio set off downstairs towards Strawberry Hall and the elevator that would take them to Grape Hall. No one spoke on the way, and Kazuichi, in a sense, was grateful for the silence. Not knowing who had died or where the murder has taken place was rapidly stressing him out, and the fact that they'd all have to endure yet another class trial wasn't helping his mood.

Once they'd reached the elevator, Kazuichi, with a shaky hand, pressed the button that would summon the carriage that would take them to Grape Hall. But nothing happened. Pressing his ear close to the elevator doors, he was unable to make out the whirr of engines, or the creaks of greasy metal parts.

"Well?" Fuyuhiko tapped his foot impatiently. "Where's our ride?"

"Dunno." Kazuichi pressed the button again, with a greater force this time. "Prolly just bugged out or somethin'."

Yet the elevator still showed no signs of life.

Kazuichi glared at the elevator doors, as though they'd personally insulted him. "Are you kiddin' me!?" he wailed. "Is now really a good time for the elevator to break down!?"

"Remain calm, Kazuichi," Gundam encouraged. "You have the power to resolve this predicament, do you not?"

"Yeah," Fuyuhiko agreed. "You're the one who fixes shit, ain't you? So go ahead and fix that fuckin' elevator."

Kazuichi paused. They did have a point. And they were counting on him to ensure their access to Grape House. It was time for him to be useful, time for him to make them proud. So, with a confident grin on his face, he turned towards his newfound boyfriend and friend. "I'll do my best," he promised. "I'm gonna make sure we get over there!"

His companions nodded. "I'll go call Grape House using the phone upstairs," said Fuyuhiko. "Gundam, you go wake up Nekomaru and Nagito, provided they're still sleepin' in their rooms, and let 'em know what's goin' on."

Gundam nodded dutifully. "I shall do so immediately," he said. "Good luck, Kazuichi. I do hope that you will succeed."

"I hope so too," Kazuichi replied as he extracted his tools from the belt on his jumpsuit. "So I'll catch you guys later, yeah?"

"Yeah," said Fuyuhiko. "We'll stop by and keep you posted when we can."

"Right." And as Kazuichi began his work, the other two boys turned their backs toward him and disappeared upstairs.

* * *

The windows of Kazuichi's cottage had been opened in order to allow the cool breeze he'd been deprived of for days to enter the room. The sky outside was almost pitch-black, with only the full moon illuminating the sky above, as well as Jabberwock Island itself. The lights within the cottage were switched on in order for Kazuichi to work on his latest creation, and the soft clatters of scrap metal sounded as he tirelessly crafted the item.

"You really should go to sleep, Kazu," Fuyuhiko grumbled as he glanced up at the clock that hung in the room. "S'almost midnight. That's pretty damn late if you ask me."

Kazuichi reached out towards a bottle of cola that stood nearby and took a long gulp of the soda before placing it back down beside him. "You can leave if you want, dude," he said, "but I'm gonna be doin' this all night."

"You can't be serious," Fuyuhiko sighed. "You're gonna fall asleep halfway through, you idiot!"

"Not if I fuel myself with cola. There's a reason I got so many bottles from the market."

Fuyuhiko, who'd been sitting on Kazuichi's bed, stood up and moved to sit beside his boyfriend, watching intently as he continued building his creation. "This is so stupid," he muttered.

Kazuichi paused for a moment. He looked up from the pile of partially-assembled scrap metal on the floor and directed his gaze towards Fuyuhiko. "If you don't like this, you can leave," he said. "But if you're gonna stay, I need you to be quiet. I can't concentrate when you're just yappin' away at me all the time, y'know?"

"Well, geez, sorry I'm actually tryin' to be a good boyfriend," Fuyuhiko snapped. "Someone's gotta keep you in line and make sure you ain't doin' anythin' stupid, y'know."

Kazuichi blushed as the meaning of Fuyuhiko's words came to him. "I-I don't need protectin' right now!" he protested. "I've installed an advanced security system in my cottage!"

Fuyuhiko rolled his eye. "I sure as hell don't see one," he said.

Kazuichi chuckled sheepishly. "W-well… it's still a work in progress."

Silence fell upon the cottage following this lighthearted exchange. The moment Kazuichi turned back to his project, all motivation to continue working had been drained out of him, despite the fact that he'd consumed an entire bottle of cola within the past hour. Instead, his thoughts drifted back to everything that had happened that day and the circumstances behind the fourth murder.

"S'pose it's time to take a break," he informed Fuyuhiko as he placed his wrench down beside his work in progress.

Fuyuhiko glanced at him with concern evident in his eye. "Somethin' wrong?" he tentatively asked.

Kazuichi placed his hands in his lap as he forlornly stared down at them. "Yeah," he replied quietly, his breath hitching. "There… there always is." His heart clenched as he closed his eyes, holding back his tears as the events of the day replayed in his mind like a slideshow.

"I know," said Fuyuhiko. "No matter how well things seem to go… it all just gets even worse."

Kazuichi swallowed. "I-it's my fault they sacrificed themselves," he lamented. "If Gundam never knew 'bout us…"

"It couldn't be helped, I guess," Fuyuhiko told him. "Someone had to die in order for Monokuma to let us outta there. 'Sides, even if Gundam never even suspected that we're datin', he prolly would've pulled somethin' like this anyway."

"He… really did care 'bout all of us, did he…"

"I s'pose so." Fuyuhiko moved a little closer towards Kazuichi and placed his hand on his shoulder. "But, even so… he said it himself durin' the trial, y'know. He and Nekomaru sacrificed themselves in the hopes that all of us will escape this killin' game alive. He wanted all of us to achieve some kind of future… and those of us who died… they ain't got no future."

"B-but his own future…"

"Sacrifices have to be made in order to achieve your whims and wants. Sometimes it's somethin' minor that doesn't matter much at all, and sometimes it's somethin' as major as someone's life. But either way, it's a part of life."

Kazuichi bit his lip. "Makes sense that a Yakuza would say that," he murmured.

Fuyuhiko shrugged. He turned away from Kazuichi, opting for staring aimlessly out of the window instead. "I s'pose I just… underestimated how unpredictable life can be," he stated quietly. "I never… I never thought I'd ever lose her. Never even thought 'bout what life would be like without her. Never even bothered to prepare myself for the possibility she'd…" He shook his head. "Who the hell am I kiddin', we woke up in a classroom with a stuffed rabbit for a teacher, who then proceeded to take us to an island for a school trip, which was gatecrashed by a weird-ass bear who's forcin' is all to kill each other. There's no way that would ever happen in real life."

He was right, Kazuichi realised. Their entire situation… it seemed so much more like the plot of an unorthodox anime than anything that would ever happen in real life. Yet, it was all happening, and it all felt so real, so tangible.

 _"Sometimes I wonder if this is all just a dream."_

What if it was a dream? What if this was some crazy nightmare Kazuichi had somehow dreamt in its entirety? Was he in a coma or something? Could you even dream while you were in a coma?

He shook his head. No. As unbelievable as their situation may be, it was all real, and he was almost certain of that. Never had he ever had a dream so rich in colour and sound, taste and texture, love and hate. He'd had dreams that felt alive, realistic, but never one with sensations and emotions as vivid as this.

No… he still wasn't certain whether or not their memories of being students at Hope's Peak had really existed, whether they had been students there before at all. Of course, there was the incident that resulted in the murder of Fuyuhiko's sister, but he couldn't ignore the possibility that Monokuma had created the entire story himself in order to inspire a murder. It was exactly the kind of thing he would do.

"I wonder how Akane's doin'," Fuyuhiko murmured. "She seemed alright by the time we finally got to Grape Tower, but… she was really quiet on the way outta Monokuma Rock and shit. I think losin' Nekomaru, for real this time, really hit her hard."

"Why d'you think I'm makin' a gift for her?" said Kazuichi as he gestured towards his project. "I saw her and Nekomaru holdin' hands while we were in the Funhouse. I get what kinda relationship they had."

"Wait, you know 'bout that?" Fuyuhiko asked, bewildered.

Kazuichi nodded. "Saw 'em after I confessed to Sonia," he admitted. "They looked so happy together… but now…" He clenched his fists. "G-Gundam might've saved us, but he ruined the chances Nekomaru and Akane had together. Their relationship was just as meaningful as ours! And if he knew 'bout us, if he was able to tell what's goin' on with us, then he should've known 'bout them too!"

"Don't you remember?" Fuyuhiko sighed, turning towards him with a slightly annoyed glance. "Nekomaru and Gundam pretty much agreed to sacrifice themselves. Nekomaru knew full well he was gonna die. I don't think he said anythin' to Akane 'bout it, though, which is kinda shitty of him, but either way, he practically agreed to die, whether it was by Gundam's hands or Monokuma's execution."

Kazuichi gulped. "Y-yeah, you're right…" He reached out and tightly gripped Fuyuhiko's hand, causing the other boy to yelp in surprise. "Y-you're gonna die on me, ain't you!?" he cried, squeezing his eyes shut as tears rolled down his cheeks. "We ain't gonna make it outta here together, ain't we!? It's impossible, ain't it!?"

"Kazu-"

"What's even the point of doin' this?" Kazuichi wept. "Why did I agree to this in the first place? All it's gonna do is hurt me. It's only gonna make it all worse!"

 _"Kazu."_

Kazuichi opened his eyes to meet Fuyuhiko's single one, which expressed concern. "Yeah?"

Fuyuhiko took a deep breath. "We ain't gonna give up now," he said. "Honestly, I'm kinda surprised you're still alive and kickin' right now. But I'm pretty sure it's mostly 'cuz I got your back. As long as I'm protectin' you, no one will dare lay a fuckin' finger on you." He smirked, radiating with confidence. "It worked this time 'round, and as long as I keep it up, I'm sure it'll work again."

"I guess…" Kazuichi nodded, uncertain. "But the others will still die somehow… we've lost so many people already…"

"Yeah," Fuyuhiko agreed. At that point, with only seven of them left, they had more casualties than survivors. "But honestly, disregardin' Monokuma's motives, I think the only one we should be worried about is Nagito, given the shit he's pulled in the past and his creepy-as-hell attitude. We can just tie him up again if he's too much of a shithead."

"True." Kazuichi nodded in agreement. "But you never know… e-even Chiaki could just be waitin' for the right time to strike!"

"Maybe. But that's just your paranoia talkin'."

"Mmm." A yawn had escaped his lips at that point, and so, he released Fuyuhiko's hand and took another swig of cola. "Think I should get back to work," he said as he turned back towards his project. "This thing ain't gonna build itself."

"Or you could just go to sleep and finish it tomorrow," Fuyuhiko quipped.

"Dude, I'll be fine. You can go to sleep - hell, you can sleep in here if you want, I'll wake you up at sunrise."

Fuyuhiko sighed. "Fine," he grumbled as Kazuichi stubbornly got back to work. "But I'll be sleepin' in your bed if you ain't usin' it."

"Well, I s'pose the smell of your scent next time I hop into bed's the closest thing I can get to sleepin' with you," Kazuichi joked.

He was rewarded with a light slap at the back of his head for his troubles, but he didn't mind - he was almost certain that Fuyuhiko was not genuinely mad, just embarrassed.


	21. Chapter 21: The Lovers of Hope

_Welcome to the beginning of the Chapter 5 Arc, everybody! This one's gonna be a pretty bumpy ride!_

 _Speaking of, this arc includes some pretty notable changes to the canonical story, as I have decided to introduce my own plots and conflicts here. So, from this point on, while I will continue to adhere to canon for the most part, some changes will be made as a result of both what has already happened in the story, and what WILL happen in the story._

 _Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone, and I hope y'all enjoy Chapter 21 of Screams and Sighs!_

* * *

 **Chapter 21: The Lovers of Hope**

The following morning, as Fuyuhiko was awakened by the Monokuma Announcement, one of the first things he noticed was the faint scent of Kazuichi that clung to the pillow and bedsheets he'd been resting on. Sunlight - pure, natural sunlight (which looked far too bright to be the source of the sun rising; Kazuichi must've allowed him to sleep in) - beamed through the windows, and for a moment he was blinded, having been deprived of it for days on end. After readjusting to the brightness the sun had shone down upon him, he recognised the layout and structure that was almost identical to his cottage - yet, the pungent smell of oil was a trait that was never to be found there.

"Mornin'," a quiet voice drawled as Fuyuhiko sat up, surveying his surroundings. Kazuichi sat against the wall adjacent to his bed, smiling proudly at him.

"GOOD MORNING!" a deep, robotic voice - which sounded suspiciously like Nekomaru's - exclaimed from his lap.

Fuyuhiko groaned as he sat up and placed his eyepatch over his bad eye, glancing down at the source of the voice - a small robot, characterised by its metal body, oddly-shaped ears that protruded from the top of its head, determined, almost crazed-looking eyes, a large grin and a clock in its middle. "So that's the thing you ended up makin' for Akane, huh…?" he asked Kazuichi.

The mechanic nodded. "Ain't it a beauty? It's a miniature version of Nekomaru's robotic form, as you can prolly tell. I like to call it… Minimaru!"

"Oh geez, it already has a name," Fuyuhiko sighed. "But I s'pose it resembles him well enough. Did you really hafta stay up all night to finish it, though?"

"'Course!" Kazuichi replied indignantly. "I can't just rush through this thing! Buildin' stuff takes time, y'know?"

"Mmph." Fuyuhiko pushed the blanket away from him, climbing out of bed and rising to his feet. "Good luck stayin' awake all day."

"Don't sweat it, man," Kazuichi reassured him. "I'll just buy more cola from the market if I need to. I've only got halfa bottle left."

"MORE COLA!" Minimaru echoed.

Fuyuhiko groaned. The tiny robot's loud, constant outbursts were going to get annoying rather quickly. He placed his blazer back over his shoulders, before reapplying his tie to the front of his shirt. "Got a comb I can borrow?" he asked Kazuichi. "Think mine's still in my cottage."

"Yeah, pretty sure I got one somewhere," Kazuichi replied as he stood up and headed inside the bathroom, with Fuyuhiko following suit.

Moments passed as Kazuichi rummaged through the drawers. Then he extracted a blindingly-yellow comb and handed it over to Fuyuhiko. "Here."

"Thanks." Fuyuhiko gratefully took the comb and stood in front of the mirror, gently running it through his hair.

Once the two of them had prepared themselves for the day, they left Kazuichi's cottage, making sure to lock the door behind them, and together, they set off towards Hotel Mirai. It was simply amazing, hearing the cries of the cicadas once again and experiencing the heat of their skin from the sun's oppressive rays. Fuyuhiko had never really cared much for the outdoors, but after spending several days cooped up in the Funhouse, it felt as though he'd been released from a prison.

But this blissful release had arrived at the cost of two lives, just as Monokuma had wanted. It was hard to forget that.

The sunlight that beamed down upon him, almost cheerfully, reminded him of the dream that he'd had on the last night they'd spent at the Funhouse. The dream of what could had been, had he and Kazuichi managed to live normal, peaceful lives at Hope's Peak Academy - no. The dream of what had been.

Fuyuhiko stopped in his tracks with his hands buried deep in his pockets and his mind endlessly puzzling over that eccentric dream. It couldn't have been a memory, could it? That was impossible. For all he knew, he'd been drugged the moment he set foot inside the Academy and had been taken to this island by World Ender in order to participate in a killing game.

And yet…

"Hey, Fuyuhiko?" Kazuichi had paused as well, glancing at him curiously. "Everythin' alright over there?"

He hadn't even told Kazuichi about it yet, he realised. He'd been so caught up in the previous day's events that he hadn't even thought to confide in him about the matter at all.

"Kazu…" he started. "D'you believe our memories really have been taken? D'you think we really did spend a few years at Hope's Peak Academy before we came here or some shit?"

Kazuichi appeared to be taken aback by these questions. "Not really, to be honest," he replied with a shrug. "I have a pretty damn good memory. It'd take a lot of work for those World Ender guys to take my memories away. Why're you askin'?"

Fuyuhiko hesitated. It seemed so stupid in hindsight, the fact that he'd even had that dream at all, the fact that he was convinced that the events it portrayed and implied really had happened before, one way or another. Despite his concerns, he took a deep breath. "Last night - no, the night before - I had this weird-ass dream," he explained.

"Yeah?" Kazuichi looked interested now.

"You were in it," he went on. "And we were at Hope's Peak Academy, in some kinda courtyard or somethin', talkin' about our futures."

Kazuichi grinned. "See, I'm the guy of your dreams - literally!" he joked. "I think I've had at least one dream 'bout Sonia before, but I can't remember it very well…"

"Yeah, whatever," Fuyuhiko dismissed with a wave of his hand. "But see, within the dream, we were… y'know…" He could feel himself blushing again. Why was it so difficult for him to say that one word?

"Datin'?" Kazuichi quipped.

"Y-yeah, that's it," Fuyuhiko confirmed. "And the weirdest thing is how… real it felt, and how I can still recall every little detail, all the things we said to each other. And it makes me wonder 'bout somethin' that's… pretty ridiculous."

"What is it?"

"Well… I'm wonderin' if maybe we… had this kinda relationship before this whole killin' game thing."

Silence ensued as those words hung in the air. Kazuichi was staring at Fuyuhiko like a deer in the headlights, trying to process what he'd just said. After a few moments, he spoke again, a disbelieving tone wrapped around his words. "I don't think so, man. I mean, why would we ever agree to date while we're in high school and livin' perfectly good lives and all that shit? We're doin' this now to cope with the stress of this killin' game, aren't we?"

"Good point," said Fuyuhiko. "But, fuck, I dunno. It feels like that dream really did happen some time ago, but at the same time, it… kind of doesn't."

"If It were a memory, I'd remember it too," said Kazuichi. "And I seriously can't recall a single thing 'bout goin' to Hope's Peak 'cept for that weird thing where I blacked out at the entrance."

"So by your logic… then my sister's still alive…" Fuyuhiko gave Kazuichi an inquisitive look. "D'you really believe that…?"

"...it's possible. There's a good chance that the whole Twilight Syndrome thing was just a story Monokuma made up to scare us into killlin' each other…"

That was true, Fuyuhiko realised. It was entirely possible that Natsumi was still alive after all, and that Monokuma had claimed that Mahiru's friend had killed her in order to motivate either Fuyuhiko or Peko to kill Mahiru. Yet, still…

"If that's the case," Fuyuhiko muttered as a lump formed in his throat, "then Peko died for nothin'. She killed someone, and got executed, for no reason in the end…"

"True… then let's make it outta here alive, Fuyuhiko. For her sake."

Fuyuhiko smiled as a single tear rolled down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away before his boyfriend could see it. Kazuichi was right. The only thing he could do now was move forward. It would make Peko happy, and proud of him. All he had to do was move on without her - and he'd been doing a good job of doing that so far, if he did say so himself.

"C'mon now, man," said Kazuichi. "We're runnin' late for breakfast."

"Yeah," said Fuyuhiko. "Let's go. Pretty sure everyone else are already there."

"YEAH! LET'S GO!" Minimaru chimed in, and Kazuichi chuckled as they began walking again, side by side.

* * *

Indeed, just as Kazuichi had predicted, the two boys were the last ones to arrive at the restaurant. With only seven of them remaining, their daily meeting place now felt more spacious than ever before. Sonia and Akane sat together at the very end of one of the tables, speaking solemnly amongst themselves as they ate. On the opposite end of that table, further away from them, were Hajime and Chiaki, who were also engaged in conversation. And sitting alone at another table was Nagito, who seemed to be glowering at the other students. His behaviour, to Fuyuhiko, was unnerving, yet unsurprising by then - from the previous day onwards, he'd suddenly become significantly more hostile to the other students, especially Hajime.

Kazuichi moved towards the two girls, and Fuyuhiko silently followed him. He knew that Akane and Sonia had been closest to Nekomaru and Gundam respectively, so their sacrifice had hit them both especially hard.

"Mornin'," Kazuichi casually greeted them. "I made a lil' somethin' for Akane last night." He proudly held up Minimaru so that they could get a good look at him.

"GO FORWARD!" Minimaru shouted enthusiastically.

Akane gasped. "A-are you serious!?" she exclaimed. "Th-that looks and sounds just like Nekomaru!"

"Yeah!" Kazuichi grinned. "That's the effect I was hopin' to pull off. I managed to salvage some of Nekomaru's parts to make this. It's essentially a miniature version of him. I call it Minimaru!"

"So it's Mechamaru lite?" Chiaki asked curiously. By then, she and Hajime had joined the small collective at the other end of the table who were admiring the tiny robot.

"You could say that," Kazuichi replied. "Both in size and technological capabilities. It ain't exactly sentient or anythin', so I s'pose you could say it's more like a toy, really."

Akane happily took Minimaru from Kazuichi's hands. "Wow, dude!" she cried. "You really went through all that trouble to make this l'il guy for me?"

"'Course! I stayed up all night just to make him!"

"ALL NIGHT!" Minimaru echoed.

Akane laughed as she held the toy close to her chest. "Thanks a lot, Kazuichi," she said. "Even if the real Nekomaru is gone now, I'll be sure to keep this in honour of his memory!"

"Anytime!" Kazuichi beamed.

"Wow, that's… a really nice gesture, Kazuichi," Hajime praised with a smile.

"Indeed!" Sonia agreed. "I am truly amazed that you have willingly forgone sleep in favour of doing something so sweet!"

"I still can't believe he insisted on runnin' on cola just to keep himself awake to finish that thing," Fuyuhiko grumbled.

Everyone laughed at that. It was almost surreal, how quickly things seemed to had returned to normal - for the most part. With Nagito becoming so cold towards everyone, the scars they all wore beneath their cheerful smiles and Monokuma and World Ender still confining them to this island, still expecting further kills to be made, this was in no way a normal or ideal lifestyle. But, for a brief moment, Fuyuhiko felt hopeful. Hopeful that no more deaths would occur, and hopeful that the seven of them would be rescued before it reached that point.

But the despair had not been eliminated yet. It had slipped through the cracks in order to disrupt the brief sliver of hope the students had taken hold of.

"My, my, my, you lot seem unusually peppy this morning!" Monokuma remarked as he suddenly appeared behind Kazuichi.

"AAAAAAAAAH!" Kazuichi, startled, had leapt about a mile into the air and clung desperately to Fuyuhiko's shoulders.

"What the- get the fuck off, you idiot!" Fuyuhiko cried, a small blush colouring his cheeks as he roughly pushed Kazuichi away from him. Akane, Chiaki, Sonia and Hajime had their gazes turned towards him, partially amused, yet partially concerned. He turned towards Monokuma, who was giggling in glee. "And what the fuck are you doin' here?"

"Aw, is that the welcome you headmaster really deserves?" Monokuma whined. "All I wanted to do was check on my students and provide them with some news on what's happening on the island!"

"News…?" Sonia repeated uncertainly. "Are you going to give us another motive now?"

"Hmm, not quite," Monokuma replied. "It might inspire a murder, depending on how well you all take it! But it's really just an interesting tidbit of gossip that I thought I'd share with you all! You high school kids love to be in the know of what's going on in your peers' personal lives nowadays, don't you? Who's dating who, who showed up at school with their skirt trimmed a little too short, who had an unfortunate run-in with a serial killer…"

"Why would we want to know any of that, though?" Hajime asked.

"Wait, so are you gonna tell us who the traitor is?" Kazuichi inquired, his eyes widening with hope.

"Of course not!" Monokuma cackled maniacally in response to this question. "That's for me to know and for you guys to find out! Now, are you ready to hear which of you guys have entangled yourselves in a forbidden love affair?"

"If this is about me and Nekomaru, forget it!" Akane shouted as she leapt to her feet and slammed her fist against the table, after placing Minimaru down on the floor beside her chair.

Chiaki, Hajime and Sonia stared at Akane, bewildered.

"Yeah, I started datin' Nekomaru durin' our time in the Funhouse," the Ultimate Gymnast continued, "And we were datin' up until he died. And yeah, I was datin' a robot. But that doesn't matter to me. I don't care what people think. And… even now that he's dead… my feelings for him are stronger than ever before." She smirked smugly at Monokuma. "Nice try, though."

Fuyuhiko was staring at her as though she grew an extra head. Not because of the fact that she'd dated Nekomaru - he knew that already, and he didn't mind it at all - but because she was brave enough to not care about what others thought of her love life, and strong enough to be open about her relatively abnormal relationship. He found himself growing a little envious of her.

Monokuma giggled again. "Did you really expect anyone to care about the tragic romance of a human girl and a robot boy?" he asked. "I think the news of a same-sex romance would be a little more shocking to everyone, wouldn't it?"

Fuyuhiko gasped quietly. He and Kazuichi exchanged terrified glances, knowing exactly what was going to happen, yet feeling powerless to prevent it.

"As of right now, Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi are boyfriend and boyfriend!"


	22. Chapter 22: The Blackout

**Chapter 22: The Blackout**

No words could adequately describe Kazuichi's horror as Monokuma carelessly laid his and Fuyuhiko's secret out in the open. He buried his face in his hands. He couldn't bear to look at the faces of his friends.

"That's bullshit!" he heard Fuyuhiko shout. "Kazuichi and I ain't datin'! Where the hell did you get that idea!?"

"There's no need to deny it," Chiaki spoke up. "I don't see anything wrong with you guys being in a relationship. And the others are okay with it too… I think."

"You bet I'm okay with it!" Akane cried. "I mean, I've never actually encountered a gay couple before. In my world, it's always been between a man and a woman, so y'know, this is gonna be a bit hard to get used to. But hey, either way, congrats!"

Kazuichi slowly glanced back up at the other students, anticipating at least one of them to start judging him, start expressing their feelings of disappointment or hatred towards him. He could see it coming from a mile off.

"I'm… shocked," Hajime admitted. "I know a little about this kind of stuff, but I never expected you guys to be gay or anything…"

"W-we're not gay!" Kazuichi protested indignantly. "Well, I dunno 'bout Fuyuhiko, but I like chicks too!"

Fuyuhiko lightly smacked him at the back of his head, unamused.

"Hey, what was that for!?"

"I thought we were gonna keep this under wraps, stupid."

"Well, everyone knows now, so what can we do about it?"

"Ah!" Sonia exclaimed as she listened to the couple's banter with interest. "You two sound like an old married couple - just as I've always imagined!" She was rewarded with five pairs of eyes trained towards her as she became a subject of scrutiny. "Is something the matter? I have always had an increasingly distinct idea that Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi have been courting one another, or at least harbour romantic feelings for each other."

"Y-you could tell!?" Fuyuhiko cried. "How the fuck did you know!?"

Sonia giggled to herself. "It is quite difficult to explain, I must admit. Perhaps it has something to do with your close friendship."

"Oh, geez, next thing we know you're gonna go around claimin' that Hajime and Nagito have a thing for each other just 'cuz Nagito hangs around Hajime all the time."

Kazuichi let out a relieved sigh as Fuyuhiko and Sonia continued to lightly jab at each other. For what it was worth, everyone was surprisingly okay with their relationship. There was no scrutiny, no judgement, no discrimination…

But there was still one student who had yet to react to the news.

At the mention of his name, Nagito, who'd been silently observing the other students, rose to his feet. "So I hear that two of those among us are romantically involved now…" he commented. He sighed and shook his head. "This does not bode well for my goal to overcome despair with hope…"

"'Scuse me?" Kazuichi turned his head towards Nagito, glaring at him furiously. "The hell are you talkin' 'bout?"

Nagito slowly approached the rest of the students, who were equally dumbfounded by his words. "This is a romance born out of despair," he elaborated icily. "A romance born out of a meagre desire for happiness, for two despair-inducing young men… as such, I refuse to accept it!"

"Ya don't have to if you don't wanna," said Akane. "But leave these guys alone and let 'em do their thing, or I'll smash you to a pulp!"

"I don't think I can." Nagito was smiling, now, his lips curled upwards in a slightly disturbing manner. "Someone will have to put a stop to this love affair, one way or another…"

Monokuma, who'd been intently listening in on this exchange, giggled with glee. "See, it doesn't always work the way it does in fairytales!" he reminded the survivors. "Most couples don't even get the "happily ever after" they desire! It's certainly a rare occurrence for a same-sex couple to achieve that happy ending, given their status as an "abnormal"! Ooh, and not to mention the inequality in class! Fuyuhiko is the prince, and Kazuichi is the pauper! I am certain that the Kuzuryuu Clan would have a little something to say about this for many reasons, and those are just two of them!"

"We know all that shit!" Fuyuhiko shouted. "That's why it's all endin' after we escape this shithole!"

"That's assuming you will escape with your dear Kazuichi," Monokuma taunted. "Anything could happen to this loaded weakling!"

Kazuichi had stopped listening by that point, too preoccupied with the task of keeping his tears at bay. It hurt, much more than he'd expected, to know that he was never going to have a happy future with Fuyuhiko. And Monokuma was right - he was useless. Worthless. He was almost certainly going to die on this school trip. And even if he survived...

 _"It's certainly a rare occurrence for a same-sex couple to achieve that happy ending, given their status as an "abnormal"!"_

It didn't feel like much time had passed when he felt a hand placed on his shoulder, and he turned to find Chiaki gazing at him with concern. "Don't let Monokuma's words get to you," she advised. "Everything will turn out okay… I think."

Kazuichi gulped. "I-if I do get killed… you and Hajime will be able to determine who killed me, right?" he asked. "I mean, you're both really good at the class trials…"

"Don't say things like that," said Chiaki. "We'll all make sure that no one else dies. We just need to look out for each other. I don't see any reason for anyone else to die."

"But Nagito-"

Chiaki moved closer towards him and stood on her tiptoes so that she could speak into his ear. "We may need to restrain him again if he does anything rash," she whispered. "I've noticed that he has been more hostile lately, and I might have a good idea of what's caused that. But all we can do now is keep a close eye on him."

Kazuichi nodded. He glanced around the room, noticing that Nagito had returned to his original spot at the table he'd been sitting at, and that Monokuma had disappeared entirely. "Have I… missed somethin'?" he asked tentatively.

"Well, Monokuma just told us that the final island is open now," Hajime replied. "Apparently Monomi defeated the final Monobeast and he's giving her some kind of punishment for it…"

"Right," said Kazuichi. Though Monomi personally annoyed him, he understood how terrifying Monokuma could be, and he hoped that she'd be okay. "So we're all goin' there to search for clues, just like with all the other islands, right?"

"Yeah," Akane, who now held Minimaru tightly in her grasp, confirmed. "But we all gotta be careful. We don't want Monokuma abductin' us again."

"That'd be shit," Fuyuhiko agreed. "So, Kazu, you're stickin' with me. We gotta keep an eye out for each other - hell, we all do."

"Shall we all split off into pairs, then?" Sonia inquired.

"Well, we make up an odd number," said Chiaki. She momentarily puffed out her cheeks in thought. "Maybe Nagito can go alone, though. I have a feeling that he wouldn't be willing to accompany anyone. If I go with Hajime, would Akane and Sonia like to pair up?"

Akane nodded. "I'm down with that."

"YEAH!" Minimaru agreed.

Sonia giggled in response to his enthusiasm. "I concur!" she said.

"Good." Chiaki beamed at her classmates, pleased that the matter had been settled so quickly and efficiently. "Then let's go."

* * *

To Kazuichi, the fifth and final island was perhaps the most exciting of them all. As it turned out, it seemed to be a futuristic city, but despite - or perhaps because of - the high-tech buildings and technology, it carried a slightly bleak ambience not unlike that of the other islands. Knowing that the city was a ghost town dampened the excitement a little, but it didn't stop Kazuichi from enthusiastically marvelling at the sights and momentarily forgetting about all of his troubles. But only for a moment.

As planned, the students - with the exception of Nagito, who'd already began exploring alone - had split up into pairs. Kazuichi had already gleefully ran further into the city, dragging an unenthusiastic Fuyuhiko right behind him.

"We've gotta see everything, man!" he cried as he stopped in his tracks to admire the scenery once more. "See, look, look at all these skyscrapers! Don'tcha feel like you're in a sci-fi anime?"

"Mmm." Fuyuhiko's eyes were narrowed in disinterest, and Kazuichi was becoming a little concerned. Fuyuhiko was usually a little more feisty than this.

"Hey…" He stopped in his tracks, glancing back at Fuyuhiko. "You doin' alright there?"

Fuyuhiko paused just a couple of steps behind Kazuichi. His hands were buried deep in his pockets as he stared at the ground. "Ain't it botherin' you?" he asked.

"Huh?" Kazuichi scratched the back of his head in confusion. "What're you talkin' about?"

Fuyuhiko unexpectedly lunged towards him, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him closer towards him. Kazuichi cried out, stunned, almost tripping over his own feet. "Don't play dumb with me," Fuyuhiko hissed. "Don't just pretend everythin's okay. I know you damn well enough to know when somethin's botherin' you."

"Dude!" Kazuichi squeaked as he shrunk back from the intense glare Fuyuhiko had targeted towards him. "I-I'm fine! Absolutely fine! No problems here!"

Fuyuhiko held his gaze. "I ain't gonna believe that for a moment," he said. "I know somethin's wrong, Kazu. If you don't wanna tell me what's goin' on, fine. But don't bullshit me."

 _Man, this guy's scary when he's worried,_ Kazuichi thought. The Ultimate Yakuza had him backed into a corner now. Even though Fuyuhiko had never said so aloud, Kazuichi knew that he was almost certainly not going to let him go until he confided in him. This was an intimidation tactic that the Yakuza specialised in, he was almost certain of it.

"I feel… exposed," Kazuichi admitted. "As though someone just took all my secrets, everythin' about me that no one else was s'posed to know, and put 'em on display for the whole world to see. I never wanted anyone to find out about this. Gundam knew about this, and…" He trailed off, hesitant to finish speaking his thoughts aloud.

Fuyuhiko slowly released the hold he had on his collar. "There it is," he muttered. "And whaddaya know, I feel the same way. We never wanted anyone to find out about- about this." He gestured towards himself and Kazuichi, signifying the huge secret they had created and shared together. "But of course… of course that bastard had to be a blabbermouth about it. Sure, everyone 'cept Nagito's fine with it, but that doesn't change the fact that he outed us." He sighed and shook his head. "But there's nothin' we can really do 'bout it," he went on. "What's done is done. 'S not like he's gonna tell the whole damn world, anyway."

"You never know," Kazuichi countered. "Knowin' him, he'd send letters home to our families just to make gettin' outta here feel like hell… he'd do anythin' to ruin our lives, y'know." He shuddered at the thought of his parents discovering his sexuality - or worse, the Kuzuryuu Clan finding out about their relationship.

"I'll make sure he doesn't pull that shit," said Fuyuhiko. "But seein' as we're gonna break this off after we get outta here, he prolly won't."

Kazuichi's heart sank at the reminder that this was only a temporary thing, that they would only be dating for a short time - perhaps only a week, if they were lucky enough to escape without anyone else getting killed.

 _"Just… don't get too attached to me."_

Fuyuhiko was right. He couldn't get too attached to him. He couldn't fall in love with him. Doing so was only going to hurt them both. He just had to enjoy this while it lasted…

"Well?" Fuyuhiko cut off his thoughts. "We gonna go explore now? There might be somethin' here you'll like."

"Yeah, there has to be," Kazuichi replied as he tried to clear his troubling thoughts. "It's a futuristic city, how can there not be?"

They trekked down the darkened, empty streets, lined with tall skyscrapers and large monitors whose screens flashed Monokuma's silent, taunting laugh at them. It was common knowledge by then that Monokuma was watching their every move - how else would he have known about their relationship? - but now, as they travelled down the darkened streets of the fifth island, Kazuichi could honestly say that he felt as though he was being watched. Prolly 'cuz of the huge monitors, he thought, instinctively moving a little closer to Fuyuhiko.

Shortly after their exploration had begun, Kazuichi cast his eyes upon a small, unremarkable-looking white building and paused. "Sea King Industries," he muttered to himself as he examined the sign on the building that read exactly that.

"'Scuse me?" Fuyuhiko followed his gaze. "That ringin' a bell to ya?"

"Yeah," Kazuichi replied. "It's a company that's known for makin' electric insulation, machine parts, all that kinda stuff. It's a fairly decent-sized corporation, but it only has like 100 employees."

"Interestin'," Fuyuhiko remarked. "Don't s'pose you wanna go inside, then?"

"Sure. Didn't even know they had a factory here."

Together, they began walking again, towards their newfound destination. Once they were there, Kazuichi opened the door, and upon entry they found themselves in a dimly-lit hallway that led to a pair of large, metal automatic doors - the sort Kazuichi had seen in space operas. He never thought he'd see the day where he'd encounter them himself, but there he was, striding through the majestic doorway with Fuyuhiko at his side.

They then found themselves upon a balcony that overlooked the proceedings of the factory's operation. In the centre of the building, amidst the whirring of powerful motors, one gigantic machine was tinkering with another - one that looked rather familiar, in fact.

"Hey," Fuyuhiko spoke up as he pointed towards it, "ain't that a Monobeast? Sure doesn't look like insulation to me, but what do I know? I ain't a mechanic."

"Yeah, it's a Monobeast…" Kazuichi confirmed. He edged closer to the edge of the balcony and rested his elbow upon the railing, placing his cheek in his hand as he observed the happenings not far away from him.

"So that's where they come from," Fuyuhiko mused. "Either way, I have a feelin' that those "Sea King Industries" guys ain't exactly in charge of this place anymore."

"Yeah," said Kazuichi. "Somehow I knew Monokuma had hijacked this place."

"D'you think they make anythin' else here now?" Fuyuhiko wondered.

"Hmm…" Kazuichi used his other hand to scratch the back of his head. "If they make Monobeasts here, then… they've probably been makin' humanoid robots, too. They'd almost certainly have the technology and resources."

"Right…" Fuyuhiko thoughtfully scratched his chin. "And Monokuma and Monomi are robots themselves, right? I mean, it'd explain how Monokuma had the power to nearly kill Nekomaru…"

"Hmm… well, yeah, I think so too. But they seem a lot like walkin', talkin' plushies at first glance. Furthermore, does Monomi even have multiple bodies or whatever? I know Monokuma does, but Monomi…"

Fuyuhiko shrugged. "What're you implyin'?"

"Well… I'm wonderin' if there's another place - somewhere on this island, maybe - that's responsible for Monokuma's production."

All of a sudden, the lights had switched off, cloaking Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi into complete darkness. The machine that had been constructing the Monobeast shuddered to a stop as the motors died down and it fell silent.

"Great," Kazuichi heard Fuyuhiko grumble, annoyed. "A blackout…"

Kazuichi's heart thumped loudly within his chest, his breathing growing steadily uneven, as he turned around and groped his way around in the darkness. His palms began to sweat as his stress rapidly increased. He couldn't find Fuyuhiko. Couldn't see him, couldn't feel him, nothing.

"Fuyu-!"

With a sharp jolt to his abdomen, his cry was cut short, and he instead gasped in pain as he collapsed to the floor. The last thing he heard was Fuyuhiko screaming his name amongst anguished curses, before he sank into nothingness.


	23. Chapter 23: The Critical Impact

This _chapter was most certainly one of the more difficult ones for me to write, for a few different reasons. I have polished it to the best of my ability, and I hope it remains enjoyable for you all._

* * *

 **Chapter 23: The Critical Impact**

"Kazuichi! Kazuichi, can you hear me!?" Fuyuhiko cried out as he knelt downwards, feeling around for the fallen form of the Ultimate Mechanic.

The only response to his question was the soft sound of hurried footsteps, followed by a tense silence. The scent of blood began to fill his nostrils.

"Fuck! Kazu, where-"

And then he felt something. His hand had come to rest on a wet, sticky surface. And, as if on cue, the lights suddenly illuminated the room once more as the machine roared to life.

And Fuyuhiko found himself facing the still body of Kazuichi.

The bloodied surface his hand rested upon turned out to be the mechanic's stomach. As he raised his hand, he found that his entire palm was coated in blood as well. The thick, crimson substance was slowly spilling out from Kazuichi's abdomen, forming a small puddle around his body. A short knife was wedged in the centre of his stomach - Fuyuhiko slowly, cautiously extracted it, knowing that the bleeding would only intensify upon removal. Sure enough, more blood steadily seeped out from the wound, the foul smell invading Fuyuhiko's nostrils. He cursed under his breath and placed the bloodied knife beside Kazuichi's body.

He dared himself to glance up at Kazuichi's face, and almost immediately regretted it. Kazuichi's eyes were closed, almost peacefully, almost as though he were sleeping, and his mouth had remained closed. Fuyuhiko turned away without a second thought, lacking the courage to face the serene expression that was frozen on his boyfriend's face.

 _This can't be happenin',_ he thought as he shakily rose to his feet. _Kazu…_

Fuyuhiko couldn't stand the sight of his boyfriend's lifeless body or the smell of his blood any longer. He needed to go and tell the others, and before long they'd be thrown into yet another class trial. But Fuyuhiko didn't mind that this time around. Someone - one of his classmates, he was certain - had killed Kazuichi, and he was eager to see their deadly demise.

He stumbled out of Sea King Industries and desperately looked around. He had to move fast. The killer could've been after both of them, but only managed to kill Kazuichi - Fuyuhiko could die any moment. So he ran through the island as fast as he could. He had no idea where he was going - all he knew was that he needed to find the rest of his classmates so that the investigation of the fifth murder case would begin.

 _"It would be rather unfortunate if anything happened to you or your paramour,"_ Gundam had told him back in the Funhouse. It had been so easy to dismiss that statement as a threat, but now, reality had hit Fuyuhiko like a ton of bricks. If Akane's boyfriend could be killed, then so could his - and that was exactly what had happened. He had failed to protect Kazuichi. He now understood how Peko had felt, somewhat.

After a short while, Fuyuhiko spotted Sonia and Akane at the military base. The former was cheerfully marvelling over the tanks surrounding them, while the latter listened intently. When Fuyuhiko appeared in their line of sight, they gasped and rushed over to his side.

"Fuyuhiko, what happened?" Akane asked, alarmed. "Are you okay? Why's your hand all bloody?"

"Where is Kazuichi?" Sonia inquired. "He should be with you, should he not?"

"Y-yeah, about that…" Fuyuhiko took a deep breath, hating the way his voice trembled as he spoke. "He got attacked, and, well… I think he's… dead."

Sonia gasped, shocked, and clapped her hands over her mouth. Akane cursed under her breath. "Someone died already?" she gulped. "It's only been a day since… the last class trial…"

"We need to get the others right away!" Sonia cried. "And then, Fuyuhiko shall lead us to the body's location!"

"YEAH!" Minimaru agreed.

"Yeah…" Fuyuhiko clenched his fists. "Mark my words, I will kill the motherfucker who dared to lay their hands on Kazuichi."

The three of them left the military base in search of the other three students. Fuyuhiko hated to put his emotions on display the same way he had during the second trial, and he was doing his best to hide his sadness and disappointment in himself, but somehow, Sonia and Akane could tell. As they hurried around the city, they occasionally shot him fleeting, pitying glances, and he resented the fact that he, a Yakuza, was displaying such blatant weakness. On the other hand, the fact that the two girls were there for him was a comforting thought, even if there was a possibility that they were responsible for Kazuichi's death.

They eventually found Hajime and Chiaki in Vendor Street, a street made up entirely of food vendors, trying out free samples of assorted sweets.

"Hajime, Chiaki." The two of them glanced up at Sonia as she spoke. "I regret to inform you that another tragedy has occurred."

"Are you sure?" Chiaki asked. "I haven't heard any announcements or anything… have you, Hajime?"

Hajime shook his head. "This… does sound pretty serious, though…" he remarked, looking closely at Fuyuhiko. "It's… not Kazuichi this time… is it?"

Akane nodded solemnly. "Apparently he got attacked," she said. "Fuyuhiko was the one who came and told us." She took a generous helping of candy from the stall they stood in front of and began eating each piece, one by one.

"That's terrible," said Chiaki as both she and Hajime sent Fuyuhiko the pitying look that he simultaneously craved and rejected. "I think the culprit is quite obvious this time around, so… let's go to the crime scene so that we can confirm it."

Fuyuhiko wanted to point out that they could easily pin him as the culprit, since he was the only one who'd witnessed the murder, not to mention that his hand was coated in Kazuichi's blood, but it felt as though his tongue was coated in sandpaper. He was relieved that Sonia and Akane had chosen to recount the incident on his behalf, since having to explain what happened a second time was too much for him to take at that point. A blend of emotions plagued him as he silently led the other surviving students, excluding Nagito, to the scene of the crime. There was no doubt about it: he was mourning Kazuichi in a similar manner he had done with Peko. He was submerged in the guilt of letting his guard down, letting someone close to him die - again. But the most dominant emotion he was experiencing was rage. Rage, and a desire for revenge.

He was back in the dimly lit hallway of Sea King Industries before he knew it, face to face with the hulking metal doors that would present him the horrifying scene he ached to erase from his memory. This, he knew, was worse than witnessing Peko's death - he'd fallen unconscious shortly after she'd died, and never seen her lifeless body again. But in the case of Kazuichi… he needed to take a close look at the scene of the crime, possibly several times, in order to avenge him and exact the revenge he desired so much.

He took a deep breath. He needed to face his fears if he wanted to do this properly. He needed to put his feelings aside for the moment if he wanted to succeed in exposing Kazuichi's killer.

And with that in mind, he stepped forward, triggering the automatic doors to open before the five students in the hallway.

Upon seeing Kazuichi's body, the other students gasped in shock. They stared at the body in horror, not wanting to believe that Kazuichi Souda, the Ultimate Mechanic, was dead. It was a fairly typical scene that Fuyuhiko had gotten used to by then - the vocalised expressions of surprise and sorrow that yet another student had died, the crushing realisation that they would need to undergo another class trial and lose another of their ilk in the process, or else only the killer themselves would be left standing.

But something… didn't feel quite right. Something… was missing.

"Hey, guys…" Fuyuhiko's voice was hoarse, quiet. Speaking was one of the last things he wanted to do at that moment. "Where's the body discovery announcement?"

"Huh?" Sonia raised her hand in front of her ear, as though expecting to hear Monokuma speaking to her. "I didn't hear anything…"

"Me neither," said Hajime. "Does that mean…?"

"It's highly doubtful that there's a glitch in the system or anything," said Chiaki. "The rules clearly state that the body discovery announcement will play if at least three people have discovered the body, not including the killer. There are four of us here right now, and the announcement hasn't played at all…" She placed a finger upon her chin. "There is a possibility that at least two people, out of us, were involved in Kazuichi's death," she went on, "but I'd hope that the chances of that are slim."

Akane cautiously approached Kazuichi's body and knelt down beside it, gently placing her hand upon his chest. She gave the other students a soft, hopeful smile. "He's still alive," she reported. "His heart's beatin' fine enough, given the circumstances."

Everyone gasped again. A flood of relief filled Fuyuhiko's heart.

"Y-you're serious?" Hajime asked.

"Yup." Akane continued to examine Kazuichi as closely as she could. "I think he's in critical condition, though… he really will die if we don't do anythin' about it."

"B-but we don't have a nurse…" Sonia pointed out.

"I know," said Akane. "But I can take care of the medical stuff from here on out, or at least try to. I've had some experience with this kinda stuff."

"Are… are you sure you know what you're doin'?" Fuyuhiko asked uncertainly.

"I will assist you!" Sonia announced. "Having spent years observing the medics' work back in my kingdom, I, too, may know enough about medical care to bring Kazuichi back to good health!"

"This is kind of risky… I think," Chiaki pointed out. "But… I believe that this is a risk worth taking. I don't think it's a good idea to let Monokuma handle it, and besides, it's unlikely he'll even agree to it this time."

Fuyuhiko momentarily pictured the happiness Kazuichi would express if he'd become a robot. Just as it had been with Nekomaru, it would take some time to get used to, especially now that he was dating him, and Kazuichi would, without a doubt, never be the same again. But at least he'd still be alive, and, for the most part, remain the person Fuyuhiko had gotten to know for the past week.

* * *

The trip to the hospital on the third island was a long one, and Sonia, Akane, Fuyuhiko, Hajime and Chiaki had all carried Kazuichi's unconscious form the entire time. By the time they'd finally reached their destination, their muscles ached despite the support they'd provided one another.

The hospital, by that point, had become the source of some of the darkest memories and experiences Fuyuhiko had on Jabberwock Island, from spending his own time there as a patient to overseeing the students infected by the Despair Disease and realising that one of them was missing. Even the one good memory the hospital brought to him - Kazuichi's visit back when he was a patient - was soured by the fact that the roles had been reversed. Kazuichi was the patient now, and Fuyuhiko was going to be the visitor who provided him with emotional support.

Kazuichi now resided in a different ward from Fuyuhiko, and, fortunately, the students affected by the Despair Disease as well. The sight of him lying down in a hospital bed, however, was still one that Fuyuhiko had hoped he would never be able to see. He'd appear so peaceful and content, as though he were simply sleeping, if it weren't for the fact that Sonia and Akane, wearing nurse's aprons over their everyday clothing, were bustling around hooking him up to machines and examining his condition.

"You guys can go out to the waitin' room if you want," Akane told Fuyuhiko, Hajime and Chiaki. "We just need to quickly find out exactly what's wrong with him. We'll let you know what'll happen from there."

"Thank you," Hajime said gratefully, and Fuyuhiko and Chiaki nodded in silent agreement.

They headed out into the waiting room, sitting beside one another in the chairs laid out. Fuyuhiko sat in the centre of one row, with Hajime and Chiaki seated on either side of him.

"Are you okay, Fuyuhiko?" Chiaki asked him gently. "I know this must be really hard for you…"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Fuyuhiko muttered. His clenched fists trembled, aching to inflict some kind of horrifying revenge upon the person responsible for Kazuichi's injury. By then, he was almost certain that it was Nagito. There was no way it could possibly be anyone else. All the signs pointed to the Ultimate Lucky Student, from his erratic, hostile behaviour towards everyone, to his outright disgust towards the romantic relationship between Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko.

He needed to be disposed of, no matter what.

"It can only be Nagito," he croaked, gritting his teeth. "He's been shady as hell from the start. Why ain't he dead yet?"

"Fuyuhiko…" Hajime nervously bit his lip. "We don't need to do a class trial after all. We don't need to point fingers at anyone."

"Of course we fuckin' do!" Fuyuhiko blazed. "He tried to kill my man! Hell, he probably would've succeeded if he were lucky! And haven't you noticed how flaky he's been lately? I'm pretty damn sure he's not gonna stop tryin' to kill people!"

Hajime fell silent, staring awkwardly down at his shoes.

"Fuyuhiko does have a right to be suspicious," Chiaki pointed out. "Nagito has been acting rather hostile towards us lately. Haven't you noticed, Hajime?"

Hajime swallowed. "Yeah…" he admitted. "It's most noticeable with me. Even after everything he's said and done in the first class trial, I still tried to talk to him sometimes, just so that I could understand him better. And I guess he really did respect me to that degree… but, well…" He shook his head. "Now the two of us have gone back to square one, but… I don't know. It's weird."

"You never can tell what the hell is up with that guy," Fuyuhiko growled. "I was willin' to at least tolerate him - he really hadn't been that much of a bother lately - but after this shit he's pulled…"

"Yeah, his attitude towards you and Kazuichi surprised me too," said Hajime. "Back in the Funhouse, he, well… it's kind of personal, so I'm not sure if I should be telling anyone - and I could've easily misunderstood him - but he kind of gave off the impression that he'd be… accepting of those kinds of relationships."

"Oh, great," Fuyuhiko groaned.

"Well, maybe the thing he's taking issue with isn't about how the relationship involves two people of the same sex," Chiaki theorised. "There might be a different reason why he disapproves."

"That doesn't mean he's gotta make an attempt at my fuckin' boyfriend's life!" Fuyuhiko snapped. "We should've tied him up again! Or, even better, how 'bout we just kill him already?"

"Fuyuhiko!" Hajime exclaimed, staring at his friend with bewilderment and concern. "We don't need to kill anyone! We probably need to tie him up again, yeah, but…"

The rest of Hajime's words were lost to Fuyuhiko by that point. Rage was rapidly dominating every fibre of his being, the urge to seize that knife that had almost killed Kazuichi and stab Nagito to death with it intensifying with every second that passed. The thought of the lifeless body of Nagito Komaeda, head lolling to the side with eyes locked open, his clothes coated in thick blood, was satisfying in more ways than he'd ever imagined before…

"...Fuyuhiko! Fuyuhiko, we- we should probably see Akane and Sonia, you're kind of scaring us right now…"

He came back down to Earth in a daze. Chiaki and Hajime both had their eyes trained on him, frowning worriedly.

"Wha…? Have I... missed somwthin'?" he mumbled, rubbing his eye as though he'd just woken up from a nap.

"Fuyuhiko…" Chiaki whispered. "Your- your uncovered eye was glowing red just now, and you were starting to look really angry…"

"Yeah," Hajime agreed. "You… you really aren't planning on killing anyone, are you?"

Fuyuhiko swallowed. "I-I dunno," he muttered. What was that? Had he been momentarily possessed by a furious spirit? All he could remember was the intense feeling of rage within the core of his being, and it was the most viciously intense emotion he'd ever experienced. He'd not only frightened Hajime and Chiaki, but somehow, he'd also succeeded in scaring himself.

"If you are considering it, then please, I beg you not to," Chiaki advised. "I'm sure Monokuma will disagree with me, but… violence solves nothing, in the end. We need to find another way to solve our problems."

 _Violence solves nothing._

The last time he'd heard those words, Mahiru was calling him out for killing her friend, Sato - the very girl who was responsible for the murder of Natsumi. They were among her last words, one of the last things she'd ever said before Peko rushed forward and drove the baseball bat into her skull. When Mahiru said those words, he'd shrugged them off and looked down at her, an otherwise ordinary middle-class high school student, for failing to understand how important it was for him to avenge his sister, failing to understand the weight of the entire situation that Sato, ultimately, was to blame for. But when Chiaki said those words, all he could think of was how he'd indirectly killed Mahiru at a price - Peko's life. Furthermore, if he did kill Nagito, he'd inevitably have to sacrifice himself, or else…

No. Mahiru and Chiaki were both right. He'd never admit it to his own parents, nor the other members of the Kuzuryuu Clan, but taking someone's life was an irreversible act that would never be undone. And it always, always came at a price.

"...fine," he decided. "I ain't gonna kill him. But we still gotta tie him up again."

Hajime and Chiaki exchanged glances.

It was at that moment that Akane had reappeared in front of them. "Well, I think Sonia and I have officially determined what's up with Kazuichi," she announced. "Sonia's just takin' care of the necessary treatments right now, but she'll join us soon. Shouldn't take too long at all."

"Right," Fuyuhiko grunted. "So what's the problem?"

"Well, he's definitely lost a crapton of blood. Fortunately, no important organs seem to be damaged, but it all comes down to blood loss, really. The stab wasn't all that deep, either, so that's prolly why he hasn't died. Sonia's just givin' him some kind of fluid to replace the blood that was lost and stitch up the wound."

Fuyuhiko recalled Mikan telling him something very similar about his own, self-inflicted abdominal wound, except with more detail and long words he didn't know or care for.

"Oh, wow…" Hajime remarked. "Do you know when he'll wake up?"

"We're not sure," Akane replied. "Seems he passed out upon impact, though. Prolly due to pain or the loss of blood."

"So he'll wake up soon, right?" Fuyuhiko asked.

"Hopefully," Akane replied. "But we dunno for sure. He could wake up later today, he could wake up next week… we dunno."

"Well, at least he'll wake up at all… I think," said Chiaki. "I hope he won't be KO'd for too long…"

"Oh, yeah, Baby Gangsta, you can stay with him however long you'd like, within visiting hours of course," Akane added. "Hajime and Chiaki can visit him too. Sonia and I are gonna be stayin' at the hospital for awhile just so that we'll look after him and stuff."

"Right," said Fuyuhiko. "Thanks."

Akane placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling gently down at him. "No problem," she replied. "I'm sorry that this happened, too, by the way… I know how it feels, knowin' that someone you love got hurt and you can't do anythin' about it."

"Yeah," Fuyuhiko agreed as he recalled the conversation he'd had with her back in the Funhouse.

"Alright, I have given Kazuichi all of the necessary treatments," Sonia announced as she approached the other students. "He will most certainly require some rest over the next few days. We are not sure when he will awaken, but we do hope that he will return to us soon."

"Thanks," said Fuyuhiko. "Can… can I see him?"

Sonia smiled. "Of course. Hajime, Chiaki, you are both welcome to pay him a visit as well."

"Thank you," said Chiaki.

As Sonia and Akane led the way towards Kazuichi's ward, Fuyuhiko made a mental note to have a proper discussion with Hajime and Chiaki on how to deal with Nagito. It didn't take a genius to know that Nagito was up to something - and whatever it was, it had the potential to land the remaining students in grave danger.

But he had to be careful, too, he realised. Whatever had happened back there was not a good sign. He needed to remain stable for the sake of himself, his friends, and, most importantly of all, Kazuichi.


	24. Chapter 24: The Plan

**Chapter 24: The Plan**

Kazuichi's eyes slowly fluttered open. His vision was blurred at first, but once he slowly blinked a couple of times, the world around him became clear as day. The sky outside of the window beside him was a dark shade of blue, and a large collection of stars twinkled merrily. His left hand was encased within the loose grip of another, and although he desired to turn his head, he felt as though he were going to vomit if he so much as moved.

"Hey," a gruff voice whispered beside him as the hand that was holding his own tightened its grip. "You're finally awake."

"Fuyuhiko… hey." Kazuichi allowed himself a strained smile. He was still alive, he realised. He'd survived… at what cost?

Fuyuhiko sighed. "Thanks a lot for scarin' me, asshole," he grumbled. "Thought you died."

"If it makes you feel any better, I thought so too," Kazuichi rasped, attempting to make a lighthearted joke despite his anxiety and confusion.

"Well, I… I'm glad you're alive. But fuckin' hell, don't you ever pull that shit on me again."

"I didn't ask to be attacked."

Fuyuhiko stood up and leaned over the bed, allowing Kazuichi a glimpse of his face. His uncovered eye was half-lidded, as though he was prepared to go to sleep, and his shoulders were slightly slumped. Kazuichi inferred that it had not been a good day for him.

"So… what happened while I was out?" he asked. He needed to know everything, and, more importantly, he needed some kind of reassurance that he was okay and that nothing like this would ever happen again.

"Not much," Fuyuhiko replied. "We took you all the way here to the hospital. Akane and Sonia treated you, since apparently they both have some medical experience or some shit. It's all 'cuz of them that you're even awake right now."

"Ah, okay. I'll have to thank 'em next time I see 'em."

Fuyuhiko nodded. "They should be comin' back pretty soon. They just went to have dinner with the others."

"Dinner?" Kazuichi repeated. "Shouldn't you be with 'em?"

"Tch. Someone has to stay behind and look after you, 'specially if you've decided that you're finally gonna wake up."

If Kazuichi had the energy, he'd be chuckling by then. He was glad that Fuyuhiko had chosen to stay with him. "How long have I been out now, anyway?" he asked.

"Just a few hours," Fuyuhiko replied. "You were unconscious… pretty much the entire day."

"That so? I thought I'd be out for a few days or somethin'..." He closed his eyes. "But… I do remember gettin' hurt. Somethin'... real sharp… pierced my stomach, and… it hurt a lot. I couldn't even think straight. I blacked out… pretty much right afterwards."

Fuyuhiko nodded. "You were stabbed with a knife," he informed him. "Good thing it didn't go too deep though, or you'd be screwed."

"Yeah… ugh, the world's still spinnin', I can't even move," Kazuichi complained.

A couple of fingers gently threaded through his hair. His hat had been removed at some point, he noticed. "You'll be fine," Fuyuhiko assured him. "Just hang in there, okay?"

Kazuichi hummed quietly as a confirmation.

Fuyuhiko's iron-clad grip on his hand loosened slightly, and the ministrations he was applying to Kazuichi's thin, matted mane of pink hair soothed the mechanic somewhat. He smiled a little, grateful towards his boyfriend. "Thanks for stayin' with me…" he said. "It really doesn't feel all that scary when you're around."

Fuyuhiko simply nodded in acknowledgement, though Kazuichi caught the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. Then he frowned apologetically. "I… I'm sorry for failin' to protect you," he murmured.

"Huh?"

"I should've kept a closer eye on you," Fuyuhiko elaborated. "I promised to protect you. I went with you on this trip to that new island… and you still got hurt on my watch. I should've done somethin'. Anythin'." He shook his head, as though making an attempt to clear some troubling thoughts.

Kazuichi sighed. "I guess some things are just out of our control," he said. "I mean, I have the skills to turn the lights back on and fix 'em if I needed to, but, well… I hate bein' in the dark. And I gotta ask… d'you know who attacked me in the first place?"

Fuyuhiko nodded. "We're all fairly certain it was Nagito."

"Ugh, seriously? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, though, given the way he acted this mornin'..."

" _Someone will have to put a stop to this love affair, one way or another…"_

Knowing that Nagito had almost succeeded sent Kazuichi close to vomiting. He was serious, he realised, horrified. He really did want to separate him from Fuyuhiko - and with lethal means, at that.

"Everyone else are okay, right?" he asked tentatively. "No one… no one died, did they?" He knew that Sonia and Akane were still standing, going off of what Fuyuhiko had told him, and he was aware that the chances of a class trial occurring during the rather short time he was unconscious were quite low. After all, the previous trial had gone on for almost the entire day, and the three that preceded it were almost as lengthy and tedious. Nonetheless, his insecurities insistently nagged at him. If Nagito had attacked him, then chances were that he'd attacked at least one of the other students as well…

"Everyone's fine," Fuyuhiko told him. "No one else was attacked or anythin'. We haven't seen Nagito since this mornin', though, and I dunno if he's shown up at the restaurant for dinner…"

"We gotta tie him up again," said Kazuichi. "He's far too dangerous to be roamin' around the islands. I don't want him to hurt anyone again,"

Fuyuhiko smirked. "Tomorrow mornin', Hajime, Akane and I will all be tyin' him up in the old buildin'. And after that… everythin' should be okay."

Before Kazuichi could reply, the door opened, and Sonia appeared, carrying a plate of food in her hands. Akane walked into the ward directly behind her. As soon as they entered the room, Fuyuhiko sat back down on the seat beside the bed, let go of Kazuichi's hand and placed his own in his lap.

"Here is your dinner, Fuyu-" Sonia froze and fell silent once she caught sight of Kazuichi. Akane, by that point, was staring down at him in surprise. Then, both girls beamed.

"Hey, Kris!" Akane cried. "Good to see ya back in business!"

"His name's Kazuichi," Fuyuhiko corrected, annoyed.

Akane laughed. "Right, my bad. Sorry, Kazuichi. How're ya holdin' up?"

"Terribly," Kazuichi replied truthfully. "Feelin' nauseous as hell."

"Oh dear," Sonia murmured as she handed the plate of food to Fuyuhiko. "Please wait here for a moment, I will go fetch a glass of water. Akane, do you mind handing Kazuichi the bucket over there?"

"Sure thing!" Akane picked up a small white bucket that was conveniently placed in the left-hand corner of the room and placed it beside Kazuichi's bed. "You might need it in a moment," she explained to him.

Sonia returned with a small glass of water shortly afterwards. "You will need to sit up so that you can comfortably drink it," she said. "Let me know if you need to use the bucket."

With the little strength he had, Kazuichi managed to shuffle his body further up the bed until, eventually, his back leaned against the pillow, which was repositioned by Akane so that it rested against the bedpost. The world spun around him, and his body felt light as a feather. Despite that, he was still able to make out Sonia's gentle smile and the drink she was holding out towards him. With weak, trembling hands, he reached out and gingerly took the cup of water from her, raising it to his lips and taking a small, tentative sip.

The cool liquid relaxed him somewhat as it travelled into his mouth and down the insides of his body. "Thanks," he said as he carefully handed the glass back to Sonia, who placed it on the bedside table. "For… for takin' care of me, I mean."

"You are very welcome," said Sonia. "It is the least we could do for a dear friend."

"Yeah," Akane agreed. "There's no way in hell I was just gonna let you die. You're pretty cool, man."

Kazuichi smiled. If he'd never been grateful for having such kind, supportive friends, he did now.

"So," Fuyuhiko spoke up between bites of rice and beef, "did Nagito show up for dinner?"

Akane nodded. "Guess he couldn't hold off on food for that long," she said. "Can't blame him, though."

Kazuichi felt what little colour remained in his face drain out. "D-did he do or say anythin'?" he asked.

"He did not disclose any information, nor did he do anything beyond eating," Sonia replied. "Hajime, Chiaki, Akane and myself attempted to interrogate him on the matter of your attack, but he only gave us some rather vague answers we could not figure out."

"He was real irritated," Akane added. "Kinda reminded me of the old Fuyuhiko, to be honest."

"'Scuse me?"

"Y'know, when you were all aloof and no-nonsense when we first got here. Remember that?"

Fuyuhiko cast her an annoyed glare. "I don't wanna hear you comparin' me to that bastard ever again," he growled, "or else."

"Please, calm down, you two," said Sonia in an attempt to placate them. "Although, that does remind me of something we discussed during the meal…" She and Akane exchanged uncertain glances.

"What is it?" Kazuichi inquired. "Did you guys find a clue or somethin'?"

"Well… I would not call it a "clue", per sé," Sonia replied. She fixed a concerned glance upon Fuyuhiko. "Hajime and Chiaki have informed us that you were exhibiting… rather odd behaviour while you were in the waiting room, Fuyuhiko. They said that your eye was glowing red, and that you looked inhumanly angry… almost unlike yourself. Do you recall such a thing?"

"Wh-what!?" Kazuichi gasped, horrified. That did not sound good.

Fuyuhiko was similarly shocked, for he'd almost started choking on the food in his mouth. He gripped his knife and fork so tightly that it almost looked as though he was going to snap the metal in half. "Y-yeah," he admitted after a short period of silence. "But… all I remember is that I was really, really pissed off at… somethin'. I think it was about Nagito's attack on Kazuichi and all that shit."

Kazuichi didn't know how he felt about that. On one hand, he was… grateful towards Fuyuhiko for putting his all into protecting him. But on the other hand… was Fuyuhiko losing control of himself? Was he going to do something drastic?

Sonia nodded slowly, her mouth set in a thin line. "They have also told me that you, with the assistance of Hajime and Akane, plan to restrain Nagito within the old building tomorrow morning. Can you confirm or deny that?"

"Yeah, that's the plan," Fuyuhiko confirmed. "I… I don't wanna kill anyone. The last time someone died because of me…" He bit his lip, leaving his sentence incomplete.

"A wise decision," Sonia complimented approvingly. "We cannot afford to let anyone else die, after all - not even the boy who has made at least two attempts at murder by now."

"But we can still beat the shit outta him, right?" Akane asked as she raised a clenched fist. "He at least deserves a non-lethal punishment!"

"I would appreciate it if you do not increase my workload as an impromptu nurse, Akane," said Sonia, who couldn't help but smile and even giggle a little at Akane's bold statement.

"No problem!" Akane cried. "I'll just land some bruises on 'im. Maybe a black eye, too."

"Y'know what they say," Fuyuhiko piped up. "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

"Aw, c'mon, you guys," Kazuichi protested, "when Nekomaru and I tied him up, all we did was punch him in the face to shut him up and knock him out!"

Akane exploded into laughter at that statement, clutching her sides. "Wow," she giggled. "So that's how the job's done, huh? Let's do that again!"

"Sounds good to me," said Fuyuhiko. "Just gotta let Hajime know and see if he'll be alright with it."

"I'm sure he'll be cool with it," Akane confidently reassured him. "So, d'you wanna punch him in the face, or should I?"

As Fuyuhiko and Akane continued to strategise, Kazuichi gazed out of the window beside his bed. The sky had darkened some more by then, and the stars were now a little brighter. Did he need to stay in the hospital overnight? He recalled the Despair Disease epidemic, where, aside from the patients, Mikan was the only one who was allowed to stay at the hospital overnight due to her status as a nurse.

He gulped and turned towards Sonia. "D-do you know when I'm gonna be discharged?" he asked her.

"Oh, yes, that is right!" Sonia exclaimed. "We will need to check your wound after your visitor has left. We were able to stitch it up while you were unconscious, but I believe we must continue to check it every few hours, just to make sure it is healing properly."

Kazuichi's cheeks burned in an intense blush as he self-consciously realised that he was dressed in nothing but a hospital gown, his undershirt and his underwear. Fuyuhiko, who seemed to had noticed this reaction, clucked his tongue in disapproval.

"We do believe that you will be discharged at least a day or two from now," Sonia went on. "However, it all depends on how your well-being is progressing."

"I-I see… you and Akane won't be able to stay at the hospital overnight, will you?" he anxiously inquired. "I mean, neither of you are actually nurses…"

Akane, having put her conversation with Fuyuhiko on hold for the time being, ran a hand through her hair in thought. "That's a good question," she said. "It'd suck if we had to leave you here all by yourself… someone's gotta be with ya, y'know?"

"Indeed," Sonia concurred. "Fuyuhiko volunteered to stay with you while Akane and myself ate our evening meal. I must say, that was most certainly a sweet gesture!"

Now it was Sonia's turn to be on the receiving end of Fuyuhiko's ire. "I don't care 'bout him that much," he dissented. "I'm only here to make sure he doesn't fuckin' die or some shit."

Sonia giggled with mirth. "Many protagonists of Japanese love stories tend to say such things about their love interest, do they not?" she remarked. "There is never an occasion where they mean what they say, however."

Fuyuhiko's cheeks turned a deep shade of red. "Sh-shut your fuckin' trap, or I'll shut it for ya!"

"Aw, geez, this wasn't how it was supposed to go!" a gruff, irritated voice complained before Fuyuhiko could reply. Monokuma was perched upon the cabinet at the other end of the room, carelessly swinging his legs, which hung loosely down below the area he occupied. "I was hoping for more action and despair to come out of this! If that useless mechanic had died at the scene, things would've turned out much different!"

"I knew it," Akane growled, turning towards the monochrome bear as she furiously clenched her fists. "You were tryin' to get one of those guys killed. You knew that Nagito has a thing against same-sex relationships. That's why you revealed somethin' that was really none of your damn business!"

Monokuma giggled with delight. "See, it wasn't so hard after all, was it?" he mused. "But don't think you smart cookies have me all figured out! I'm a complex character, you see!"

"We'll find a way to stop whatever shit you've got up your sleeve," Fuyuhiko challenged him. "Just watch."

"Well, you lot are gonna need some extraordinary luck to stop me," Monokuma chortled.

"Sh-shut up!" Kazuichi tried to shout, only to find himself engulfed in a coughing fit mere moments afterwards. He shakily rose a hand to his mouth.

"The hell are you doin' here?" said Fuyuhiko. "Don't think you came here just to taunt us."

"Oh, right!" Monokuma exclaimed, as though he'd suddenly remembered something. "Someone asked if these impromptu nurses would be allowed to stay here overnight so that they can oversee their patient!"

Kazuichi, whose coughing had ceased, nodded weakly.

"Well, the answer to that question is quite simple!" Monokuma went on cheerfully. "Although neither of those girls are a true nurse, unlike the Ultimate Nurse herself, I will permit only one of them to remain at the hospital overnight! Anything can happen while the patient is sleeping, after all - you wouldn't want him dead by the next morning, now would you?"

The two acting nurses exchanged glances, and Kazuichi's throat dried up. He hadn't expected that answer at all… but… he was going to be okay with just one girl overseeing him - right?

"It will be rather difficult," Sonia admitted. "The two of us work off of each other using our combined and rather limited skills in the area - that is how we have managed to begin healing you, Kazuichi. One of us working alone may not produce such quality results. However, I am hopeful that, even without Akane by my side, I will serve as an efficient caretaker throughout the evening - and, of course, likewise with Akane."

"Yeah, this should be a piece of cake," Akane agreed. "I don't think anythin' too bad will happen durin' the night."

"So who'll be stayin' here, then?" asked Fuyuhiko.

"It would have to be me," Sonia replied. "After all, Akane will be… busy tomorrow morning." She cast an anxious glance towards Monokuma. "It would be best for her to get plenty of rest."

"Yeah, that's fair," said Akane. "I can take over tomorrow night - unless Kazuichi gets discharged tomorrow, that is."

"Indeed. So, Kazuichi, in the event that you require my assistance at any time this evening, just press this button on the wall beside you." Sonia gestured towards a small, round, red button to the right of Kazuichi's head. "I will be sleeping in the on-call room; however, the noise should be loud enough to awaken me."

"Right." Kazuichi nodded. "Thanks, Sonia."

Sonia smiled. "It is my pleasure."

"Oh, yeah, and before I leave, I oughta remind you punks that visiting hours will be over in five minutes!" Monokuma announced. "Fuyuhiko and Akane are both expected to sleep in their cottages throughout the night!" And with that, he disappeared.

Akane sighed, exhausted. "Guess we should be headin' off, Baby Gangsta," she said.

"Go on, then," said Fuyuhiko. "I just… wanna spend a moment with Kazuichi."

"In private?" Sonia quipped.

Fuyuhiko nodded.

"Ah, understood! I will be waiting outside in the hall. I do need to inspect Kazuichi's wound after you leave..."

After they all bade each other goodnight, Akane and Sonia left the ward, leaving the two boys alone together.

Kazuichi slowly, cautiously turned towards Fuyuhiko. "I wish you could stay here with me all night," he confessed quietly. "I just feel more… at ease with you around."

"You heard what Sonia said," Fuyuhiko sighed. "She'll be in the on-call room throughout the night. If you need anythin', she'll be the one supplyin' it."

"I know," said Kazuichi. "And I'm… relieved that she's stayin' with me. But I'm so worried that this could be the last time I'll ever see you, y'know?"

"Kazu, for fuck's sake, d'you really think you're gonna die here? The fact that you're even awake is a good fuckin' sign."

Kazuichi lowered his head. "It ain't about me," he said in a low voice. "I'm worried 'bout you."

"What is there to worry 'bout? You think I'll just drop dead outta nowhere or some shit?"

"N-no, not at all! I just… what if the plan to tie Nagito up doesn't work? What if he tries to hurt you, a-and actually succeeds in killin' you? The stupidest thing about all this is that I can't do anythin' to protect you!"

A moment of silence followed this statement.

"What happens, happens," Fuyuhiko whispered after awhile. "Some shit's just way outta our control. I mean, you were attacked while I was in the same fuckin' room as you, but… I couldn't do anythin' to stop it. I was… powerless. But… we're all gonna put our all into this plan. We won't give up. We'll find a way outta here, even if it takes us a long-ass time." As he spoke, he held Kazuichi's hand again. The gesture soothed him. "There's no way in hell my man bein' stabbed to near death will stop me."

"Just… be careful, alright?" Kazuichi swallowed. "I-I really don't want you to die…"

"...I don't want you to die either," Fuyuhiko replied. His voice was so quiet that Kazuichi almost didn't hear him. "But I don't want you spendin' all your time worryin' 'bout me, either. I'll visit you tomorrow and let you know how it all went down. And if it goes well… then we should be safe."

Kazuichi clutched his hand tighter. "I hope so…"

"Me too." Fuyuhiko placed his now-empty plate on the bedside table and rose to his feet. He knelt down to Kazuichi's level and moved closer to him. Kazuichi found himself meeting Fuyuhiko's softened gaze, which was now only a few centremtres away from his own. "Don't fret," the shorter boy whispered, and, before Kazuichi could reply, he pulled him into a kiss.

Fuyuhiko's lips pressed against his in a way that remained characteristically aggressive; however, he seemed to have taken Kazuichi's weakened physical condition into account, for the kiss was a lot gentler than usual. Kazuichi closed his eyes and kissed back, feeling more relaxed due to the comfort he was provided with.

After a short while, Fuyuhiko pulled away and straightened himself, taking the plate back into his hands. "G'night, Kazu," he murmured quietly, glancing down at Kazuichi with a gentle look in his eye. "I'll see you tomorrow… and that's a promise I won't go back on."

"G'night, Fuyuhiko," Kazuichi replied, and Fuyuhiko quietly exited his ward, leaving him to his own devices for a brief moment before Sonia reentered in order to inspect his wound.

After Sonia left and he lay in bed, sinking into the realm of sleep, he wondered if Fuyuhiko was really as confident about the plan as he seemed.


	25. Chapter 25: The Hopeless Situation

_Before we begin this chapter, there's just a couple of really important things I want to note._

 _About a week from this chapter's publication, I'll begin my final year of high school. And if anyone's been there, well, they should know that senior year is a time where a lot of your free time has to be sacrificed. In order to focus on my studies this year, I will need to spend less time working on this fic. As a result, the update schedule of this fic will most definitely be affected. Up until now, I've always published a new chapter 1-3 weeks after the last one. From now on, however, a new chapter will be released at least once every month or two. So, updates in general will be less frequent than usual from here on out. I apologise for the inconvenience, but I can assure you that this will not become a dead fic anytime soon._

 _Also, the "attempting to capture Nagito" scene takes place a little differently from canon not only because I screwed up and forgot exactly how it went, but also because this is the point of the story where things go get a little canon divergent and different in general._

 _As always, thank you so much for your continued support, and I hope you continue to enjoy this fanfiction!_

* * *

 **Chapter 25: The Hopeless Situation**

"Ah, you are leaving now?" Sonia asked Fuyuhiko as he closed the door to Kazuichi's ward behind him.

Fuyuhiko turned towards her. His shoulders were slumped in exhaustion, and his eye drooped, as though he longed to go to sleep. "Yeah," he replied.

Sonia smiled. "I believe your presence gives Kazuichi a certain comfort that no one else can provide," she told him. "As you may have noticed, he is already treating me notably differently compared to usual. But… it is a change that I am pleased with."

"S'that so?"

"Yes," Sonia replied. "I am glad that he has found someone he truly loves and can be happy with. I would like to thank you, Fuyuhiko, for instigating this positive change in his character."

"Hey, don't thank me for gettin' him outta your hair. S'not like he actually felt that way about you in the first place."

Sonia frowned, concern passing over her features. "Is something troubling you, Fuyuhiko?"

 _Fuck._ Fuyuhiko swallowed. Somehow, Sonia could read him a lot easier than Kazuichi could, although he suspected that Kazuichi's observational skills had been temporarily impaired as a result of his injury. "I'm fine," he said, in a voice that was as steady as he could manage.

Sonia, however, was unfazed. "You do realise that you may speak with me about your troubles if you wish, right?" she offered.

 _Ding dong, bing bong._

The bedtime announcement resounded throughout the hospital, as well as the entirety of Jabberwock Island. Fuyuhiko powerwalked his way towards the hospital's exit. "I have to go," he called over his shoulder. "Get in there and take care of Kazuichi. He's waitin' for you."

He sped out into the darkness of the night before Sonia could protest.

* * *

"Aw, seriously?" Akane loudly complained. "Why can't we punch the damn guy's stupid face? He deserves it after what he did to Kazuichi!"

"Simply restraining him is the most we need to do," Chiaki calmly replied. "I don't think we need to resort to unnecessary violence."

Akane sighed in resignation. "Fine. But you're startin' to sound like Monomi."

The next morning had arrived before Fuyuhiko knew it. He, Akane, Chiaki and Hajime had all arrived at Hotel Mirai at least half an hour earlier than they typically did.

"He's comin' any moment now, right?" Akane continued. "The smell of all the food in the restaurant is such a tease!"

"You were piggin' out on nikujaga when we first got here," Fuyuhiko pointed out. "Lay it off and save some food for the rest of us."

Akane groaned. It was clear that she was getting increasingly irritated with every moment that passed. _She doesn't have to be here if she doesn't wanna,_ Fuyuhiko thought to himself. _She could go help Sonia at the hospital if she wants to be useful._

Chiaki lifted a hand close to her ear. "I think he's coming," she whispered to the others.

Fuyuhiko and Akane immediately moved to stand at their positions at the front of the hotel's doors. _This is it_ , Fuyuhiko thought as he anticipated the movement of the doors opening, his heart racing. _The moment of truth… the moment we can suppress one of our biggest threats right now…_

Moments later, the doors opened, and the moment Nagito set foot in the lobby, Fuyuhiko and Akane rushed forward and seized him with the help of their combined strength.

"Gotcha!" Akane exclaimed triumphantly.

Nagito stared up at his captors, bewildered. "Um… what are you guys doing?"

"We're gonna tie you up," Fuyuhiko boldly announced. "After what you did to my man, there's no way in hell we're gonna let you get away with makin' this killin' game worse than it already is!" His heart was somehow beating even faster, and some weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Was this… a success? Were they really going to put a stop to the killings once and for all?

"You're going to tie me up again," Nagito echoed in a tone of voice that Fuyuhiko could only describe as nonchalant. "When will you guys stop behaving so shortsightedly? You have to look at the big picture in order to uncover the truth, you know."

Akane glared down at him as she gritted her teeth "The hell are you talkin' about!?"

"Don't worry 'bout whatever bullshit he's gotta say," said Fuyuhiko. "Nagito, I wouldn't struggle if I were you. It'd make shit more difficult for you."

"Is that so?" Nagito smirked. "I have no reason to struggle. In fact, I have reason to believe that luck is on my side this time."

"Wh-"

"You see, it is… the beginning of the end. The beginning of the end… of Jabberwock Island."

And then, as if on cue, the sound of an explosion promptly assaulted Fuyuhiko's senses as the force of it pushed him forwards, causing him and Akane to inadvertently release Nagito from their grip. The walls of the lobby glowed with an orange light, and smoke began to fill the room, its unpleasant smell attacking Fuyuhiko's nostrils and leaving him in a daze.

But the worst part of it all was the hysterical laughter Nagito released. It closely resembled the moment he'd snapped during the first class trial, except that the sight of flames rising behind him made him look much more threatening.

Small fires had now formed in some parts of the lobby, and one of them had blazed dangerously close to where Hajime and Chiaki were standing. The collective of students promptly hurried out of the burning building. From there, four horrified pairs of eyes focused on Nagito.

"Wh-what the fuck is this all about!?" Fuyuhiko shouted as he furiously clenched his fists. "You tryin' to kill us or somethin'!?"

As Nagito's laughter died down, a wide, unsettling grin remained on his face. He stared at his classmates intently with wide, deranged eyes. "Don't worry!" he shouted over the loud crackles of the burning lobby, failing to sound reassuring. "That bomb wasn't strong enough to kill you! And besides, only four of the six of you are here!"

"Yeah, and Kazuichi and Sonia are in the hospital 'cuz of you!" Akane cried. "'Sides, you tried to kill Kazuichi. Don't bother lyin' to us, we all know it's true."

"It really wasn't that hard to figure out, was it?" said Nagito. "Well, it was intended to be a rather easy case. In fact, killing Kazuichi had never been my intention at all! I was truly lucky!"

"Then why the fuck did you lay your fuckin' hands on him!?" Fuyuhiko blazed.

Nagito chuckled. "Well, the lovers of despair were surprisingly easy targets," he admitted. "And driving a wedge between them is an efficient way to end their despairing romance! It also gives you guys an incentive to tie me up, allowing me a perfect opportunity to demonstrate my ultimate goal! So, I killed two birds with one stone!"

Hajime paled. "So… you attacked Kazuichi so that you could… manipulate us?"

"Of course. The lovers of despair aren't the only ones I need to eliminate… if I must overcome despair with hope, then I must destroy all of Jabberwock Island! Unless…"

"Unless what!?" Fuyuhiko seethed. His fury towards Nagito until now barely held a candle to the burning rage he presently felt towards him.

"If the traitor steps forward, I will reveal the location of the more powerful bombs I've planted on the island," Nagito explained. "They're powerful enough to destroy the entire island without too much trouble. However… the traitor doesn't have long to reveal themselves. The bombs are set to go off in two days at noon. If the traitor doesn't step forward… I won't tell you where the bombs are."

"So… you're doing all of this… just to weed out the traitor?" Hajime supplied uncertainly. "Isn't that a little… extreme?"

A soft giggle fell from Nagito's lips. "It's the only way, Hajime… the only way to erase all despair!"

"Isn't our dear Nagito a wonderful boy?" Monokuma commented as he and Monomi suddenly appeared. "He raises the stakes so that I don't have to! I don't even have to provide a motive this time around!"

The smoke was beginning to cloud Fuyuhiko's senses, and he couldn't help but let out a harsh cough. His anger remained, however, and despite everything, his fists were clenched so tightly that his palms could bleed. "Heh, look at you goin' on 'bout traitors and shit," he growled. "Out of the lot of us, you're the one who's most likely to be the traitor. You're just goin' right along with Monokuma's wishes like a mindless puppet."

"That's not quite true," Nagito claimed. "I have my own motives, and they are a far cry from the mastermind's."

"Oh, sure, keep tellin' us that," said Akane. "We're still gonna take you down, no matter what!"

"E-everyone… please…" Monomi tightly clutched at her head as her small eyes filled with tears. "You can't turn against each other now! Y-you need to work together to find the bombs!"

"Yeah, and then what?" said Fuyuhiko. "We all get stabbed to death for our efforts?"

"Monomi's right," Chiaki pointed out. "I know Nagito refuses to cooperate with us, but that doesn't mean we should turn on him. The safest thing to do is to find the bombs and disable them before time's up… I think."

"That's right," Nagito confirmed. "If you want to survive, you have two options: the traitor steps forward, or you find the bombs yourselves. That's all I ask of you." And with that, he turned on his heel and walked away.

"W-wait!" Monomi called after him. "You need to put out the fire! You can't just leave this building there to burn to the ground!"

Monokuma sighed. "Well, I suppose I'll have to be the one to put it out," he said. "The life of a headmaster is so hard…"

Fuyuhiko couldn't even find the strength in him to roll his eye.

* * *

The decaying metropolis that was the third island passed him with every step he took. His heart sank deeper within his being the closer he got towards the hospital.

"You don't look so good, Frederick," Akane remarked, frowning. "Everythin' alright? We don't have to take you in and treat you too, do we?"

"Leave me alone," Fuyuhiko snapped, not even bothering to correct her on his name. "I've got my own shit to deal with."

Akane sighed as she stopped in her tracks. "C'mon, y'know I'm always willin' to listen, right? I know I'm not all that good at advice 'n shit, but, y'know, if you've got stuff you just wanna let out…"

"I'll just talk to Kazuichi about it," Fuyuhiko growled as he, too, stopped walking. "He's the only one who needs to know 'bout this."

"Hey, uh…" Akane paused, as though considering whether or not her concern was worth pointing out. "Is there… somethin' wrong with your thing with Kazuichi? Is… everythin' alright between you guys?"

Fuyuhiko cursed under his breath. Akane hit the nail right on the head. For someone so dim-witted, she was actually really good at reading other people. "I s'pose you could say that…" he slowly admitted.

Akane nodded understandingly. "Things haven't been workin' out so well for you lately, huh? First Monokuma outed you, then Nagito attacked Kazuichi…"

"It's more than that." Fuyuhiko swallowed, trying his hardest to maintain his composure. "This thing we got goin' on… it was a mistake. I shouldn't have agreed to it at all…"

Akane stared at him, flabbergasted. "No way!" she exclaimed. "You don't seriously think that, do you?"

Fuyuhiko closed his eye and fought to slow down his racing heart. His decision was a painful one, but nonetheless… it was for the best. "Yeah," he said quietly. "All it's done is hurt us more than before. It's my fault that Kazuichi got hurt, and… I don't wanna be responsible for that shit anymore."

Akane tightly gripped his shoulders, forcing him to turn his gaze upon her. If looks could kill, he'd be dead in an instant. "The only thing that's gonna hurt him again is you dumpin' him like a hot potato," she told him. "If you're so intent on not hurtin' him, the least you can do is give him one more chance."

"This ain't about him!" Fuyuhiko snapped. "D'you seriously think he did anythin' wrong? That my feelings for him just made like a tree and fucked off? It ain't 'bout him at all! It's me! Me and this stupid fuckin' situation we're in!" His eye was clouded with angry tears that he couldn't hold back, and he roughly pushed Akane away from him. "I can't just let this shit go on," he continued quietly. "I can't keep doin' this…"

Using all the speed and stamina he could muster, he ran the rest of the way to the hospital before Akane could stop him.

* * *

"Oh, goodness, Fuyuhiko, are you alright?" Sonia scrambled to his side the moment he burst into Kazuichi's ward, catching his breath. Concern washed over her features. "Has something happened?"

Kazuichi, who was sitting up in bed and slowly consuming a bowl of porridge, paused and glanced worriedly at Fuyuhiko.

"The plan failed," Fuyuhiko panted. "It was a trap."

"A trap?" Sonia gasped. "Oh dear… did anyone get hurt?"

"Nah, everyone's fine. But the hotel's screwed."

"Wh-what happened to the hotel?" Kazuichi asked nervously as he stared down at his breakfast, as though dreading the answer.

With a weary sigh, Fuyuhiko begrudgingly explained everything that had occurred at the hotel that morning, including the revelation that Kazuichi's attack had been part of a sick, twisted plan. A plan that could damn well work, Fuyuhiko realised.

"No…" Kazuichi whispered once the explanation had concluded. He gazed up at Fuyuhiko with wide, fearful eyes. "We… we really are gonna die this time, ain't we? H-how are we s'posed to expose the traitor? For all I know… either of you guys could be the traitor…"

"No, please do not think like that!" Sonia protested. "We cannot turn against each other now! We have already made it this far…"

At that moment, Akane had joined the small collective in the ward. "Goddamnit, Ferdinand," she grumbled, "you really shouldn't have just taken off without me like that." She turned towards Sonia. "Hajime and Chiaki said they'll be here soon," she said. "They're kinda hesitant 'bout leavin' Nagito all alone on the main island."

Fuyuhiko shot a glare towards her. "First off, the name's _Fuyuhiko,_ " he snapped. "Second of all, I can do whatever the fuck I want if I feel like it's necessary."

Akane rolled her eyes. "If you say so," she sighed. "Anyway, how's our patient feelin'?"

"Better," Kazuichi replied. "But… this is gettin' real intense…"

"Yeah," Akane agreed. "I have no idea what that guy's problem is, but man, he's prolly a bigger threat than Monokuma at this point."

"That is a rather harsh judgement to make, is it not?" Sonia argued. "Regardless of what he has done, he is just as much of a victim in this killing game as the rest of us."

"Oh, really?" Fuyuhiko challenged. "Deny the existence of a traitor all you want, but if one really does exist, it's him. No doubt about it."

Kazuichi nodded in agreement. "There's been something… off 'bout him from the start," he chimed in. "And ever since the first trial, he's been nothin' but insane. And now he's pullin' all this shit…" He shuddered a little. "There's always the possibility that it's someone else, though…"

"Why would it be?" Akane inquired. "The answer's right in front of us, ain't it?"

"That's true, I s'pose… either way, it's a lost cause. Unless we somehow manage to find those bombs and disable 'em, but…"

Fuyuhiko bit his lip. It was his fault that Kazuichi was so broken, so… hopeless. Things had only been getting worse for him as the days passed, and Fuyuhiko was almost certain that their romantic relationship was to blame. He'd tried so hard to protect Kazuichi, but in the end… he'd only put him in greater danger. He could keep telling himself that things would get better, but Kazuichi was right. The two of them - hell, everyone on Jabberwock Island - really were a lost cause.

Unless…

"Hey, Akane, Sonia… can I have a moment alone with Kazuichi?"

Akane shot him a look that meant something like don't you fuckin' dare. Sonia, meanwhile, smiled pleasantly at him. "Of course you may," she said. "Let us know when you are done." And with that, she and Akane walked out and closed the door behind them.

Fuyuhiko's blood ran cold as he moved to stand beside Kazuichi's bed. He really didn't want to have to say this. But… he had to. Even if it would hurt Kazuichi one last time.

"H-hey, Fuyuhiko?" Kazuichi's voice wavered with uncertainty. "Everythin' will be okay, right…? Please tell me that we'll be fine…"

Fuyuhiko swallowed. There was no turning back.

"Kazuichi…" He took a deep, unsteady breath. "This was a mistake. We need to break it off, and we need to do it now."

* * *

 _I refuse to apologise for that cliffhanger._


	26. Chapter 26: The Damage

_So this chapter was uploaded here a couple of days after I uploaded it to Archive Of Our Own since was giving me some problems that prevented me from publishing the chapter. If you'd like to get to the updates a little quicker, particularly in case goes down again, please follow the AO3 upload. My username there is PsychedelicatePoltergeist, and this fanfiction should be relatively easy to find over there._

 _With that said, enjoy._

* * *

 **Chapter 26: The Damage**

Kazuichi wanted to hide under the blanket and never come out of it again. He stared at Fuyuhiko in shock and disbelief as his stomach churned unpleasantly, as though it wasn't faring well in response to the porridge he'd consumed. "Y-you ain't serious, right?" he gasped.

Fuyuhiko nodded. "I… I'm sorry."

"No! I-it doesn't have to end like this! You said we'll break up when we get outta here, right!? Why d'you wanna do it now?"

Fuyuhiko's face was pensive. It was one of those heartbreaking moments where he looked so unbearably worn-down, and Kazuichi hated it. "It all just made shit worse," he stated. "It was all because of… because of this. Nagito attacked you because he disapproves of us. You could have died, Kazu…"

"But you can still protect me!" Kazuichi protested. "Y-you can still do that… r-right?"

Fuyuhiko squeezed his single eye shut, and Kazuichi hoped, for the love of whatever god existed in the world, that he wasn't going to cry. That was the last thing he wanted to see. "I failed," he whispered. "I failed to protect you. And I found that the only way I can protect you is… is to end this thing we have. As long as we go back to how we were before, Nagito ain't gonna target you anymore, and Monokuma ain't gonna hurt us anymore."

"What the hell!?" Kazuichi exclaimed, shooting Fuyuhiko an unimpressed glance as he opened his eye once more. "You're seriously just gonna let 'em win!? You're givin' up on this because Nagito's bein' a little shithead!?"

"It's not just because of-!"

"I knew it…" Kazuichi sniffled loudly as tears streamed down his cheeks, despite the fact that he didn't want them to be present. "You really are a fuckin' weaklin'! You can't even pull through for your own damn boyfriend! I bet Peko never just went and gave up on you 'cuz things got too tough for her!" His heart plummeted down his chest as the vicious words flew from his mouth before he could stop them.

Fuyuhiko's response was swift. He seized the collar of Kazuichi's jumpsuit so forcefully that he almost strangled him, pulling him towards him and forcing him to meet his ferocious glare. "So you're goin' there now, huh," he growled. "Just as I thought… you're a load of bullshit. I don't wanna see your fuckin' face again. Thank your lucky stars that I ain't gonna kill you myself." He roughly shoved Kazuichi back against the headboard of his bed, turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Kazuichi didn't move an inch, instead settling for staring blankly at the spot where Fuyuhiko had been standing moments ago. His heart thumped wildly as feelings of anger and betrayal bubbled up from within, angry tears pouring down his cheeks. His fingernails clawed into the thin blanket that covered the lower half of his body.

He soon heard the sound of the door opening and closing once more. "Kazuichi?" Sonia's voice sang out, gentle but concerned. "Has something happened? Akane and myself heard shouting from your ward, and when we passed Fuyuhiko, he looked extremely upset and refused to talk to us…"

It felt as though a layer of sandpaper had coated Kazuichi's tongue. He found himself unable to speak, and instead allowed his outer shell to tell the story. He could make out Akane's whispers - "look at him, Sonia, he's cryin'" - and Sonia's hasty footsteps, felt a soft, gentle hand grasp his - but it wasn't Fuyuhiko's hand this time. Fuyuhiko was never going to hold his hand again…

"If you do not wish to discuss it, that is fine," Sonia assured him. "Shall I provide you with a glass of water?"

He nodded slowly. "We… had a fight," he sobbed. "H-he dumped me, and I got angry, and…"

"Yeah, thought somethin' like that happened," said Akane, who stood by the door. "The little guy's pretty quick to anger, y'know."

"I know… but…" He gripped the blanket even tighter. "It's like I said to him so long ago… if he didn't have that big Yakuza title… he'd be nothin' special. He's a pathetic weaklin' who can't stand up for his friends, or even himself… just like me." He chuckled bitterly. "Can't even protect his own boyfriend… and now he wants to break up."

Sonia frowned. "It is not like that at all…"

"Just let him vent," Akane advised. "He's understandably angry, y'know. I can see where he's comin' from."

Sonia sighed in resignation. "In that case, I will go and prepare your glass of water, Kazuichi. Do you intend to finish your breakfast?"

Kazuichi looked down at the bowl of porridge that lay in his lap. He'd barely eaten any of it, and there was no way he was going to empty the bowl at this rate. "Nah," he replied.

"Understood." Sonia carefully took the bowl back from him. "I shall refrigerate it for now, and reheat it later if you wish. Now, I will return in just a moment."

Kazuichi and Akane barely spoke a word to one another during Sonia's absence, and Kazuichi used the time to dab at his eyes with the tissues that lay atop the bedside table. When Sonia returned, Kazuichi took the glass of water from her with a quiet "thank you" as he raised it to his lips and took a sip. He hadn't calmed down entirely, but he wasn't feeling as angry as he was before, and he'd stopped crying.

"I swear, I'm gonna beat some sense into that shortie the first chance I get," Akane growled as Kazuichi gingerly placed the glass of water on the bedside table. "Does he have any idea what he's just done? Kick your boyfriend while he's down, why don'tcha?"

"I understand why he has decided to take this course of action," Sonia spoke up, gazing pointedly at Kazuichi. "The past few days have all been very hard on all of us, you and Fuyuhiko especially. From what I understand, Fuyuhiko believes that our circumstances will improve somewhat if you are no longer courting him."

"That's exactly what it is!" Kazuichi exclaimed. "And it's not true at all! Does he think we'll all just magically be rescued if he breaks up with me or somethin'?"

"That doesn't mean he made the right move, Sonia," Akane added. "This is only a gut feelin' so don't take my words as the truth or anythin', but… I don't think Nagito's pullin' all this crazy shit just 'cuz of Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko."

"Why else would he try and kill us all, though?" Kazuichi wondered aloud. "Maybe he just hates all of us or somethin'..."

Akane shrugged. "I have no idea, honestly. I just think somethin' went wrong in his head."

"Regardless, Kazuichi, I doubt that Fuyuhiko has made the decision to cut romantic ties out of malice or cruelty," said Sonia. "He only wishes for the best for you. He wishes for you to be safe and happy."

"I have the right to be upset if he does somethin' like this without considerin' how I'd really feel!" Kazuichi argued. "Despite everythin', bein' with him… made me happier than I ever realised. It's the best way for me to cope…" He paused as the reality of what he'd just said came to him. and he remembered several things that Fuyuhiko had said to him over the course of their relationship.

 _"...don't get too attached to me."_

 _"We're runnin' away from our problems and divin' into escapism."_

 _"Just bein' with someone you care about doesn't make all your problems go away."_

Fuyuhiko wasn't the weak one, he realised. It was Kazuichi himself, and it always had been.

"You okay there?" Akane asked as she moved closer to the bed. "I know it's tough, but-"

"I'm such a weaklin'," Kazuichi muttered to himself.

Akane placed her hands on her hips. "'Scuse me? You're one of the strongest folks I know. What makes you think you're weak?"

Kazuichi felt his eyes moisten as tears began to gather up once more. As far as he was concerned, it only proved his point. "I can't do it alone," he said. "I can't… I've relied too much on him. I've only been friends with him for… I dunno, less than two weeks, but…" He gulped.

"That ain't what bein' weak is all about," said Akane. "And I'm sayin' this as someone who thought relyin' on other people was a sign of weakness. It's the other way round, actually. Relyin' on people you're tight with to keep your spirits up - friends, family, lovers - actually gives you this… feelin' that you can take on the world, no matter what. It makes you feel more confident, y'know? So… it makes you a lot stronger."

Sonia nodded in agreement. "Akane is right."

Kazuichi took a moment to give Akane's words some thought. It was true that, when it all came down to it, his fears and insecurities worsened when he didn't have anyone to rely on. When he was with Fuyuhiko - whether they were friends or lovers - he felt a little more confident that he could brave the terrible circumstances that they were in. Fuyuhiko was the one who'd stopped him from entering the Final Dead Room, after all. Fuyuhiko was the one whom he explained his past to, and he was the only person Kazuichi had ever confided in regarding his time in middle school. Fuyuhiko was the one who'd promised to protect him…

He smiled sadly. Fuyuhiko was the primary reason he was alive right now. If it weren't for him, Kazuichi would've been dead long ago.

"I'm so pathetic," he said. "I always have been. See, Fuyuhiko knows how weak I am now. I'm sure he never wants anythin' to do with me again."

"You do not know that for sure, Kazuichi," said Sonia. "And please do not put yourself down like this. You are a wonderful young man, and one of the kindest I have ever met."

"You gotta talk to Fuyuhiko if you wanna make things right," Akane added. "Apologise to him, whatever. If you guys can't be lovers anymore, I'm sure you can at least keep bein' friends."

Friends… The notion comforted Kazuichi somewhat, but still, he felt that something was… missing. The idea of him and Fuyuhiko no longer being lovers saddened him more than anything else. He gritted his teeth. "We were only together for five days. Five goddamn days. Why am I so torn apart over this? This ain't how love works, r-right?"

 _Love_. The word resounded in his head insistently, and it was the only thing he could think of. No… there was no way his feelings for Fuyuhiko had morphed into love. It took most couples several months, at the very least, to experience anything beyond a deep infatuation. When he thought of love, he thought of weddings, couples happily spending the rest of their lives together. He didn't even know enough about Fuyuhiko to say for certain that he loved him, though he could say he knew a lot more than the other students (sans Peko). And… he wanted a future with him, a happy one, where they had nothing to worry about...

No. It couldn't be.

Akane shrugged. "Feelings ain't predictable," she said.

 _That's an understatement,_ Kazuichi thought.

* * *

Going through the rest of the day was a painful affair. Hajime and Chiaki visited him later that afternoon, themselves worn-down over the threat that Nagito had posed to them. They, as well as Kazuichi, Akane and Sonia, spent the majority of their visit discussing the situation and theorising the bomb's possible location. Nagito himself had never shown up to visit Kazuichi - and neither had Fuyuhiko.

"Is he alright?" Kazuichi asked Chiaki after he'd explained to her and Hajime what had happened between them.

Chiaki was frowning in a show of concern. "That would explain his strange behaviour after returning from the hospital…"

Kazuichi's face fell. "Strange behaviour?"

"Yeah…" Hajime anxiously bit his lip. "Uh, I don't know how I should explain this, but… he was really fired-up this morning. Chiaki tried to ask him what happened, but he didn't reply and just… went into his cottage, locking the door behind him."

Chiaki nodded to confirm this. "He hasn't come out of his cottage ever since."

"And he hasn't had lunch…?"

"No. I don't think he's eaten anything since breakfast."

Kazuichi only felt even more disappointed with himself upon discovering this revelation, and far more guilty for having pained Fuyuhiko. He didn't deserve the way Kazuichi had treated him that morning, especially after everything he'd already been through.

"Can you… try to get him to eat?" Kazuichi inquired. "I-I don't want him to starve himself or anythin'..."

Chiaki nodded. "He may appear during dinnertime," she said. "But if he doesn't, I'll be happy to deliver some food to him."

Kazuichi smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks…"

* * *

"Welp." Akane handed a plate stacked high with food to Sonia, but only after she'd swiped a chicken drumstick from it and took a huge bite out of it. "He showed up for dinner."

Kazuichi stared up at Akane in disbelief. "Y-you serious?"

"Yeah. He was pretty quiet, but he was there alright. Think he's doin' a little better than before, too."

"Oh, thank goodness," Sonia gasped. "I knew he would come around eventually…"

Akane shrugged. "He's still pretty out of it, though. Like I said, he didn't wanna talk much. 'Specially if it was about you, Katsuki."

"Kazuichi," he automatically corrected.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that."

Kazuichi wasn't sure if his own thoughts were to be trusted, but he had a slight feeling that Fuyuhiko was showing signs of recovery a little too quickly. Fuyuhiko, he knew, was the kind of person who would bottle up his emotions and hide them away in order to maintain his image as a ruthless Yakuza. He never did talk about Peko or Natsumi's deaths very often, not even to Kazuichi, but even a casual observer would realise how much the second murder case and its outcomes had shaken him to the core.

Kazuichi swallowed. He was anticipating, yet dreading, his next confrontation with him.

* * *

Kazuichi was discharged from the hospital at last the next morning, after Akane and Sonia examined him and determined that he was ready to go. His wound had effectively closed up, though it left a deep scar that imprinted the skin of his abdomen, and he could walk around without collapsing or feeling nauseous at all.

He still hadn't seen Fuyuhiko since their fallout, and he was simultaneously relieved and disappointed that he'd never visited him again. On one hand, he wasn't sure if he was ready to face Fuyuhiko again, and he was especially anxious about having to confront him himself. On the other hand, he knew that there were personal issues between the two that needed to be resolved, and he couldn't rest while knowing that Fuyuhiko was hurt because of him.

When he stood in front of Fuyuhiko's cottage, he was immediately possessed by the urge to turn around and walk away. The first time - and only other time - he'd been to Fuyuhiko's cottage was to apologise for their first feud since they'd become friends, and heading inside and surrounding himself with the same scenery that he was part of during that time was not going to do his nerve-wracked train of thought any favours.

No, he thought as he made slow, hesitant footsteps towards the front door, past the mailbox that bore Fuyuhiko's pixelated portrait. I'm not gonna run away. We're gonna talk this out as calmly as possible, without killin' each other...

He paused at the door, now directly in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he raised a trembling fist and knocked.


	27. Chapter 27: The Last Hurrah

**Chapter 27: The Ultimate Lucky Student's Last Hurrah**

Fuyuhiko could read the text on the page as clear as day, despite the fact that he only had one eye. The font was at a comfortable reading size, and he was fairly certain that he knew the definitions of most of the words, particularly in the context in which they were used. But the story, despite being one of his favourite genres - crime - failed to captivate him. It wasn't a bad story, by any means, but despite everything, Fuyuhiko couldn't concentrate on the novel he tried to read.

Giving up, he slammed the book shut and tossed it over to the side, and it landed on his bed with a soft thud. His mind was too busy to focus on a stupid fiction story about the mysterious death of some woman's abusive ex-husband - he was far too busy bemoaning what had happened between him and Kazuichi. He'd expected Kazuichi to be hurt, and he'd expected him to at least be somewhat affected by the notion of a breakup, but… he was not prepared for such an angry outburst.

" _You really are a fuckin' weaklin'! You can't even pull through for your own damn boyfriend! I bet Peko never just went and gave up on you 'cuz things got too tough for her!"_

Well, he had a point, he thought.

A soft knock on the door pulled Fuyuhiko out of his thoughts, and he groaned, knowing that it was only Chiaki coming to check up on him again. It wasn't that he had a problem with that - he appreciated her efforts in looking out for him, though he'd never say so out loud - he simply wanted to be left alone. Regardless, he meticulously rose to his feet from the chair he'd been sitting in and walked towards the door as steadily as he could. He gripped the door handle a little too tightly and turned it, pulling the door open.

He froze when he saw who was there.

Kazuichi, at first sight, appeared to had returned to good health. He was standing steadily, and the colour had returned to his previously-haggard skin. His eyes were fixed directly upon Fuyuhiko in a way that was almost unnerving, but after a close examination, Fuyuhiko could clearly see his own fears bubbling up to the surface in his slight crouch and the anxious look in his eyes.

No words were spoken as the two eyed each other down, a feeling of tension circling the area. Then, after a short while, Kazuichi quietly spoke. "Can I come in?"

Fuyuhiko desperately searched for the words he wanted to say, the things he wanted to do in response. He hadn't intended, nor expected, to see Kazuichi again - and yet, there he was, right in front of his cottage. He was surprised when he eventually said "Sure," in a low voice.

Kazuichi cautiously trudged inside the cottage, as though watching out for landmines, and closed the door behind him. He awkwardly stood in the middle of the room, as though unsure of where to sit.

"Just sit on the bed," said Fuyuhiko.

Kazuichi obeyed, gently pushing Fuyuhiko's novel aside to make some room.

Fuyuhiko took a seat beside him. Neither of them said anything for another short while. Then, Fuyuhiko, irritated by the silence, cut to the chase. "Why're you here?"

Kazuichi nervously fiddled with the loose cuffs of his jumpsuit. "I… just wanted to apologise," he admitted. "I didn't mean what I said yesterday, I… I was out of line. I was just very angry. And… I'm still kinda mad at you now, actually."

Fuyuhiko sighed. "Kazuichi, you gotta understand-"

"No, I do," Kazuichi interrupted. "I get what this is all about. I got too attached to you." He clenched his fists. "That's why I'm still mad at you… somethin' you did is makin' me feel this way. It's makin' me feel like I can't live in a world where we can't be happy together, and… and I hate it!"

"Somethin' I did?" Fuyuhiko echoed incredulously. "The hell have I ever done to make you feel like this?"

"I dunno!" Kazuichi cried. "Th-there's just somethin' 'bout you that makes me feel… good. Like, it's like how I felt 'bout Sonia, but better, and… just havin' you as a boyfriend keeps my morale goin'."

Fuyuhiko was floored. "It's too soon to be sayin' sappy shit like that," he stated quietly. "We weren't even datin' for a week. You barely even know me. We only first met… two or three weeks ago? Who knows, and who cares. Either way… that's the other reason why I had to do this, Kazuichi. We dove in without knowin' exactly what the risks are." He bit his lip. "And for that, I… I'm sorry for draggin' you into this. I'm sorry for hurtin' you. But this'll be the last time I'll ever hurt you, 'cuz now… no one will ever lay their hands on you again."

Kazuichi was shaking, and Fuyuhiko felt as though he were a witness to a terrible traffic accident. He was expecting Kazuichi to explode again, storm out of Fuyuhiko's cottage after shouting something he knew would upset and anger him. But neither of the two happened - Kazuichi simply remained seated beside him, his entire body trembling like a leaf.

"I can't be strong without you," the mechanic whispered hoarsely. "You're the only one who keeps me goin'."

"I ain't goin' anywhere."

"But I need-"

"You don't. You've got so many people who care 'bout you. Akane, Sonia, Hajime, Chiaki…"

"I know, but… it's different with you. You make me feel loved… the only girls who ever liked me that way only liked me 'cuz of the way I dressed. They didn't want Kazuichi Souda. They just wanted a "bad boy"." He smiled sadly. "I sound like such a hypocrite right now, don't I? But still… I know how Sonia feels now. One of the things I want most is… to be loved for who I am."

Fuyuhiko gritted his teeth. He couldn't get emotional over this. He needed to be strong, for Kazuichi's sake. "You'll find someone else who'll love you like that," he assured him. "But… it ain't gonna be me. I'm a Yakuza, y'know? I've got more important things to be doin' than screwin' around with romance. And we're both guys… like I said, it ain't gonna work. It never was gonna work."

"Where will I find someone like you?" Kazuichi asked softly.

Fuyuhiko shrugged. "Hopefully not in a killin' game." And hopefully it'll be a girl this time, he privately added. His heart ached in response to how miserable Kazuichi looked. His shoulders were slumped, and at that point he couldn't even look at Fuyuhiko. It's gonna be the last time I'll see him like that, he reminded himself. He carefully outstretched his hand and held it gently around Kazuichi's - a similar gesture to the one he'd made on that night in the Funhouse, when they'd agreed to be together. "I'm really sorry," he said. "I dunno how else I should say it, and I dunno if you believe me, but take my word for it. Trust me when I say that this'll be for the best… for both of us."

"No," said Kazuichi. "I still ain't seein' it. I still ain't seein' how doin' this is makin' anythin' better."

"Kazu."

The mechanic slowly looked up in response to the pet name, which Fuyuhiko immediately regretted uttering, even if it was out of a force of habit. "Yeah?"

Fuyuhiko gripped his hand a little tighter. "Maybe now ain't a good time for you to understand," he said. "So I s'pose you'll see what I mean later down the track. And trust me, you'll be thankin' me when you finally get the hint."

"Whatever," Kazuichi sighed. "Guess there really ain't a chance. S'pose the most I can hope for right now is for you to keep bein'... my friend."

"...yeah." Fuyuhiko hesitantly released the grip he held on Kazuichi's hand. "You're still my friend too, y'know. Don't you dare forget that."

But, when Kazuichi nodded affirmatively, Fuyuhiko had a sinking feeling that the bright, puppy-like happiness in his eyes was not going to return for a while, no matter what happened.

* * *

"Oi, Fuyuhiko!"

Akane had cornered him when he'd walked out of his cottage to go for a walk later that afternoon. He'd barely even taken a step past his mailbox, yet there she was, hands on hips and eyes narrowed in what he could only identify as disappointment.

"Whaddaya want?" he grunted.

"I wanna know why Kazuichi's still feelin' miserable," Akane bluntly replied. "You really don't give a shit 'bout his feelings, do ya?"

"You've got the wrong fuckin' idea. I'm doin' this because I care 'bout his feelings."

Akane squinted down at him, as though searching for any contradictions in his expression. "So you keep sayin'. Seems more like you're only thinkin' 'bout yourself and your Yakuza status."

"It's none of your fuckin' business!" Fuyuhiko shouted. "Worry 'bout your own damn issues for once!"

Akane sighed. "I'm just lookin' out for you two," she said. "I think what you did was really stupid, y'know."

"Tch. That ain't exactly a secret. Don't worry 'bout him. He'll be alright soon enough. Just give him some time."

"...d'you remember that one time I asked you if love makes you weak?"

Fuyuhiko's breath hitched. "Yeah. What 'bout it?"

"You dumpin' Kazuichi ain't got nothin' to do with that, right?"

"...there are a lotta reasons," Fuyuhiko replied stiffly. "Trust me when I say that I'm doin' this for both our sakes. He'll be thankin' me later."

"Yeah, we'll see 'bout that," Akane challenged. She turned away from him and began to walk away from his cottage. "Catch ya later."

Fuyuhiko was left feeling even more troubled than before as he began to question his own intentions.

* * *

With less than a day left to uncover the bombs, tensions among the group ran high, and the fallout from the end of Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi's romantic relationship didn't help matters. While Fuyuhiko continued to see Kazuichi fairly often, as they were both doing their part to assist the others in finding the bombs, they barely spoke to one another, and Kazuichi wouldn't even meet Fuyuhiko's gaze most of the time. Fuyuhiko would be lying if he said that it didn't bother him, but he knew that, as he'd said, Kazuichi would grow out of it eventually. At the very least, he could take comfort in the fact that Nagito no longer had any reason to target them specifically.

Nonetheless, despite the breakup - and despite the fact that everyone knew about it by then due to Akane's big mouth - Nagito refused to disarm the bombs, and he was still fully-intent on weeding out the traitor, whoever they could possibly be. Fuyuhiko had tried his best to discard the possibility that the mysterious traitor had been Kazuichi all along, but despite his efforts, the concern ate away at his mental well-being. He could easily assume that Kazuichi had similar suspicions about him, too, which would at least partially explain why he was determined to avoid him however possible.

The bombs were finally discovered in the plushie factory on the fifth island the next morning, loaded onto a pickup truck that appeared to had been modified. A laptop was found as well, and it had indeed been placed there by Nagito, as evidenced by the video message he'd left on it. He instructed the students to swipe their Student Handbooks against the card reader in front of the bombs. Supposedly, doing so would weed out the traitor. However, when Chiaki swiped her Student Handbook, what was on the pickup truck exploded into fireworks. The bombs were a fluke.

Nagito's next pre-recorded message instructed them to make their way to the warehouse. While the group, especially Kazuichi, was skeptical, they ultimately agreed to obey his whims.

That was why they were now standing in front of the warehouse door. Kazuichi was fretting that Nagito had set up another trap for them - an actual bomb, perhaps - in the warehouse, and Fuyuhiko was trying his best to tune out his panicked ramblings, to no avail.

Akane boldly walked closer to the door. "I'm gonna open this thing," she announced. "We ain't gonna find out what the deal is if we don't do anythin', right?"

"M-maybe it'd be better if we headed back…" Kazuichi suggested.

"Oh, hell no!" Akane seized the door's handle and made an attempt to turn it, but the only thing Fuyuhiko could hear was loud, persistent rattling. "What the hell!? It won't open…"

An intense feeling of dread pooled into Fuyuhiko's stomach. Images of the jammed doors of the music venue appeared in his mind before he could stop them, and the next thing he knew he was inside, unable to tear his eyes away from the two corpses found within… He shook his head. It had to be a nasty coincidence. Maybe Nagito had simply decided to lock himself inside the warehouse for some reason. Then again, that was assuming that Nagito was even in there at all - the "bombs" had detonated earlier than he'd said they would, after all. He had to have miscalculated the time they'd take to blow up.

He heard a quiet, muffled noise from the other side of the door and placed a hand just beneath his ear. "The hell's that noise?"

"Noise?" Chiaki repeated, confused. "What noise…?"

"Well, if it ain't gonna open, then I'm gonna make it open the hard way," said Akane, ignoring them. She took a few steps backwards and glared at the door as though it'd personally insulted her. Then, before Fuyuhiko could even blink, she charged towards the door, and, with a loud BANG, it opened with little resistance.

The rest of the students hesitantly gathered around and peered inside. The room was dark, and Fuyuhiko could make out a collection of Monokuma panels strewn all over the floor. The noise he could've sworn he'd heard was much more audible now - the sound of a hymnal, depressed-sounding tune. "The fuck's up with that?" he wondered aloud. "Didn't know Nagito liked to listen to this crap."

"This is weird," Hajime commented.

"Yeah," Chiaki agreed. She stood in the middle of the entryway, glancing around the room. "It doesn't look like Nagito's in here…"

Before anyone could reply, the warehouse burst into flames, and the music stopped with a sputter. The fire rapidly covered the area of the floor, and the flames rose higher and higher, circling the room with smoke.

They immediately ran to the employees' lounge within the plushie factory and gathered a collection of fire grenades, before returning to the burning warehouse.

"I think it was that curtain down there that caught fire," said Chiaki as she pointed towards the curtain at the back of the room, consumed by flames. "If we throw our fire grenades at it, we might be able to put the fire out."

Without waiting for an answer, they all threw as many fire grenades as they could down towards the inferno. Sure enough, the sprinklers switched on, and water rained down onto the ground. The fire gradually began to disappear, leaving several large burn marks imprinted upon the ground. The curtain had become the colour of charcoal - Fuyuhiko was surprised that it hadn't fallen down or taken any further damage.

"Phew…" Hajime wiped the sweat off his brow. "That's a close one."

"I hope Nagito is okay," said Sonia. "He did say that he would be in here, correct?"

"Yeah," Fuyuhiko affirmed. "But that doesn't mean he is. Pretty sure he just tried to kill us all."

"See, I told you it was a trap!" Kazuichi wailed as he wrung his hands in distress. "N-now let's get outta here before somethin' else happens!"

"Wait," said Chiaki. "I just want to have a quick look around in here before we leave. Maybe Nagito left a clue for us."

Akane snorted in disbelief. "I dunno, he doesn't seem like the type to lead us on a wild goose chase."

Chiaki carefully stepped over the Monokuma panels and into the warehouse, walking over to the charred curtain. The other four students hesitantly followed suit.

"D'you really think there's gonna be some clue or somethin' behind that thing?" said Fuyuhiko.

Chiaki shrugged. "Maybe he left another laptop with another voice message."

When she gingerly pulled the heated curtain aside, careful not to burn her hands, the six students were stunned into silence. Fuyuhiko stared intently at the horrifying sight that was revealed, desperately hoping against hope that this was all some kind of nightmare, yet at the same time feeling only slightly relieved. He didn't know what he'd expected to find there - something mundane, perhaps - but he certainly hadn't anticipated the bloodied, maimed, lifeless body of Nagito Komaeda himself.


	28. Chapter 28: The Awful Truth

**Chapter 28: The Awful Truth**

Kazuichi struggled to keep his balance steady as the crime scene was unveiled. There was so much blood that he wanted to vomit. If he'd thought the deaths of Byakuya and Mahiru were horrifically gory, he was not anticipating… this.

Nagito lay spread-eagled on the warehouse floor, his limbs bound by rope. The first thing that caught Kazuichi's attention was the spear that impaled his midsection as easily as a knife sliced through butter. It had made a clean cut straight through his body, he realised, as he noticed the blood pooling out from the bottom of Nagito's corpse and onto the floor.

But the abdominal injuries sustained from the spear were far from the only ones Nagito had suffered, and as Kazuichi noted every little detail of the murder victim, his horror drastically increased.

A knife had been sliced directly through Nagito's left hand. On second glance, Kazuichi saw that the rope that bound that hand had been cut, presumably leaving it free to move around. Did that mean that Nagito had somehow managed to cut it himself? Did he have the time or opportunity to save himself? There was no way he'd have been able to cry out for help in that prior state, Kazuichi thought, as his eyes trailed to the gag covering his mouth.

The final thing to take note of was his arms and legs. Deep gashes ran across both of his legs, as well as his right arm; however, they weren't deep enough to create hollow holes like in his midsection and left hand. Still, they were deep enough to draw blood - lots of it.

Kazuichi swallowed the bile rising up to his throat. It looked like the iconic scene from a violent horror movie. It looked as though whoever had done this to Nagito was determined to ensure he died a slow, painful death - as though he were being tortured. And, given recent events, there was only one person who would do such a thing…

"No!" He sunk to his knees, redirecting his gaze onto the floor, away from the horrific scene on display. He could barely make out the body discovery announcement playing in the background. "No, no, _no!_ "

"Kazuichi…?" Hajime sounded concerned.

Kazuichi's attempts to stop his tears were futile. "I-it's my fault…"

"What!?" Akane cried out. "Kazuichi, did you…?"

"No! It ain't me, it's…" He fell silent. The troubling thoughts plagued his mind like a deadly disease, but he couldn't put them into words.

"Kazuichi, please tell us what's wrong," Chiaki pleaded. "You know something about this case, do you?"

"I-I think so," he replied shakily. "But I c-can't be sure…"

"Go on, then," Sonia encouraged. "Share your thoughts. They may be quite helpful."

He was silent for awhile. None of the other students uttered a peep, as though they were patiently waiting for him to say his piece. Then, he slowly rose back to his feet and turned his gaze upon Fuyuhiko. "So this is why you wanted to cut it off…" he murmured.

A flash of betrayal passed across Fuyuhiko's face. "W-what?" he spluttered.

Kazuichi choked back a sob. "You think it would even make much of a difference!?" he cried. "You think it'd hurt me less when you go and get yourself executed!?"

"Stop makin' assumptions!" Fuyuhiko snapped. "I-I didn't do this. I was tempted, yeah, but…" He paused when he realised that everyone had their eyes on him. "Fuck…"

"Well… there was that moment in the waiting room of the hospital…" Chiaki reminded everyone uncertainly. "And even if you've agreed not to hurt anyone, given everything else that's happened… it's still likely that you'd do something like this." She lowered her head. "I really don't want to accuse anyone of anything, though, and besides, my claim doesn't have any known evidence to back it up. So as long as we all thoroughly investigate… we should be able to come to the truth… I think."

Hajime slowly nodded in agreement. "Fuyuhiko does seem pretty suspicious. But still… after all this time… I don't think he'd intentionally sacrifice himself, or even kill all of us."

"But he's a Yakuza!" Kazuichi protested. "Sacrificin' yourself is somethin' they gotta do for the sake of honour!"

Hajime shook his head. "I think… that what he really wants is to escape the island alive for the sake of, um, the second culprit. Isn't that right, Fuyuhiko?"

Fuyuhiko slowly nodded.

Kazuichi swallowed the rest of his accusatory words. No. They didn't have any evidence yet, and they hadn't even began investigating. Monokuma had yet to appear with the Monokuma File… they couldn't investigate without it. Chiaki was right - it would be unwise for the students to turn against each other without any evidence backing up their accusations.

Chiaki had a strained smile on her face. "Let's give it everything we've got," she said. "After having already done this four times, there's no way we can fail now."

Her five surviving classmates nodded in agreement as Monokuma appeared to provide them with the necessary file, and before they knew it, the investigation was underway.

* * *

The survivors slowly trudged back to the restaurant from Monokuma Rock with their heads bowed. This whole routine was one that they'd perfected by then - find a corpse, investigate, go into Monokuma Rock, determine who killed the victim, watch the culprit's execution and walk out with one more student short - but it still felt just as horrifying and exhausting as it had the first time. If anything, the circumstances behind the fifth murder - if one could even call it that - left a bitter taste in Kazuichi's mouth, resulting in him hating Nagito even more than before.

Much to Kazuichi's relief, Fuyuhiko wasn't the culprit this time. However, all of Nagito's injuries were self-inflicted, and he had effectively set up a trap that resulted in what had turned out to be the most difficult class trial yet. One of the fire grenades had been filled with poison, and that poison was what had killed him. As the last threads of his life vanished, his grip on the rope holding up the Spear of Gugnir slowly released, causing it to descend and stab him right in his midsection. One of the students had thrown the poisoned fire grenade, not knowing of the contents inside - and, as a result of Nagito's luck, perhaps, that student had been Chiaki, the "traitor". All along, she and Monomi had been working closely together to guide the students and ensure they led a safe, happy school trip, despite the circumstances. They were both executed, despite the fact that Chiaki killing Nagito had been purely accidental…

Not even the promise that no more motives would be given out and no more murders would occur was enough to raise the survivors' spirits. Hajime seemed especially downcast, and Kazuichi could only feel bad for him - he and Chiaki had seemed particularly close.

 _Wow…_ he thought as they continued their short journey back to the restaurant. _All of us have lost someone special… except me…_

His ex-boyfriend was still alive, as was the girl he could now call one of his closest friends on the island, despite his prior "crush" on her. And he could certainly say that the other two students were great friends of his, too. But they'd all lost someone they very clearly held dear to their hearts, moreso than any other student - Peko in Fuyuhiko's case, Gundam in Sonia's, Nekomaru in Akane's and Chiaki in Hajime's. His own special person - Fuyuhiko - was still alive. He quelled the thoughts of luck being a factor. It was never luck, at least not in his world - it all came down to circumstances.

Determination coursed through him, and he began to walk a little steadier, more confidence strengthening his every step. These four people surrounding him… they were the ones he was going to escape the island with. So many innocent lives had been stolen during this school trip, from Byakuya - well, the imposter - being stabbed to death beneath a table in the old building, to Chiaki being crushed beneath a gigantic Tetris block. But the five students remaining were going to escape, for the sake of the eleven fallen ones…

They had almost reached the restaurant when the world suddenly began to glitch slightly, the landscape shifting as coloured lines and blocks filled Kazuichi's field of vision, and he almost lost his focus. As his vision cleared and he focused his attention on the path again, he noticed that a sixth student was among them, making confident strides with her head held high, the sword on her back concealed within its case.

Kazuichi choked in shock, and he frantically turned towards Fuyuhiko, walking a little ways behind him. But Fuyuhiko had no change in his reaction, didn't even seem to realise that his childhood friend had suddenly materialised in front of him - and when Kazuichi turned back towards her, she was gone.

 _What the hell,_ he thought, dazed. _Now ain't the time to be hallucinatin', damnit._

Before long, they'd finally arrived at the restaurant to find that another laptop - or was it the same one from before? - rested upon one of the tables.

"It would appear that Nagito has left another message for us," Sonia observed as they crowded around the laptop to have a closer look. Indeed, just like before, an .mp4 file was open, bearing Nagito's face, anticipating someone to press play.

"Aw, gee, the hell does he want now?" Akane sighed. "He's dead, that should be the end of it!"

"NO ONE COMES BACK TO LIFE, SILLY!" Minimaru added, and his statement resulted in quiet, uneasy chuckles from the other students.

"Well, there's only one way to find out…" Hajime said slowly. He reached out towards the laptop and allowed the message to begin playing.

Nagito smiled expectantly at the camera. "Hello again," he began. "You should have received this message after the fifth trial. Now, there are two parties who may possibly be watching this right now… the traitor, all by themselves, or… the rest of the students. If it's the latter, and the traitor has died, then… it would seem that my plan has failed." He frowned, as though this notion disappointed him.

"Failed!?" Kazuichi shrieked as Hajime, staring at the laptop screen in shock, swiftly paused the video. "D-does that mean he wanted us to die and for the traitor to survive!?"

Sonia nodded gravely. "There is no other way to interpret that statement."

"That's insane!" Fuyuhiko cried. "Is he really that messed up!? Why would he only want the traitor to survive!?"

"Silence, everyone," a voice Kazuichi hadn't heard in so long that he'd almost forgotten whom it belonged to spoke. The world briefly glitched out of focus again. "In case you haven't noticed, he does have more to say."

Kazuichi turned towards the source of "Byakuya Togami"'s voice, only to find that no one was there. What… was this? Was this Monokuma's doing? Had he given Kazuichi some kind of drug or substance that induced hallucinations of fallen students? Or were they… still alive after all? He shook his head. No, that was impossible - he'd seen them die, every single one of them, from injuries and conditions they had no hope of surviving from. He wasn't like Mikan, he wasn't the Ultimate Nurse, and even he knew that it was near-impossible to survive from a slashed throat or extreme head injuries.

After a short, tense silence, Hajime hesitantly resumed the video.

"But, well," Nagito went on with a resigned sigh, "I suppose it wouldn't be too surprising if I did fail. After all, bad luck likes to follow me around. But anyway, regardless of the outcome of my scheme, I figured I might as well tell you guys a few things."

"You coulda told us that shit before you went and got yourself killed," Akane muttered irritably.

"First of all, I figured that I should tell you why I've tried to kill Kazuichi," Nagito continued, and Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko immediately leaned a little closer to the laptop, giving Nagito's speech their utmost attention. "I will admit, I was strongly against his relationship with Fuyuhiko, but it seems that the reasons why have been wildly misunderstood. As a matter of fact, I don't really have anything against same-sex relationships, or anything like that. In fact, I myself… well…" He paused for a moment, then chuckled nervously. "It's a little embarrassing to admit, even though I'll be dead by the time you see this. But you get my point, right? I hope so.

"Anyway, the reason I tried to kill Kazuichi is the same reason I did everything else leading up to now. Do you remember when I passed the Final Dead Room back in the Funhouse? Well, Monokuma promised me that if I passed the Final Dead Room and won Russian Roulette with all six bullets, he would give me a clue about our circumstances. So he did… and that clue was an awful truth that changed everything. It's such an awful truth that if I tell you guys, you'll really freak out. But basically-"

The world glitched out of focus once more, and Nagito's words became distorted, unintelligible. The remaining students exchanged glances.

"-and that's why I had to do what I did. That's why I only wanted the traitor to survive…" He let out a dry, humourless chuckle. "Well, now that I've been such a hindrance throughout this killing game, I figured I might as well help you out. As a matter of fact, I know exactly how to get off of this island." Another series of unintelligible words followed. "-so I'm going to give you the password for the ruins."

Kazuichi gasped. The ruins! If there was any way they could possibly go home with their lives intact, it had to be via the ruins somehow.

He looked away from the laptop screen, bearing the sad smile of resignation on Nagito's face. "The password is… '11037'. Good luck, and may hope truly overcome despair." As he waved his farewell - his final, definite farewell - the video came to an end.

Excited chatter instantly began among the group.

"W-we're finally getting outta here!? For real!?"

"Oh, damn, thank goodness. I do hope my kingdom is alright…"

"Alright! We're really close to winnin' this game, guys!"

"H-hold on, guys, hold on!"

Everyone paused and turned towards Hajime. "Yeah?" said Fuyuhiko.

Hajime bit his lip. "Are you sure he's giving us the right password?" he asked tentatively. "I hate to doubt him, but considering everything he's done… it could just be another trap. Besides, some of what he said seems to have been tampered with so that none of us could understand it."

Sonia shook her head. "It is doubtful that the password is a fluke. If he was anticipating the traitor to survive his trial, and he wanted them to survive, then it is more likely that he would provide the correct password so that they are able to escape the island. As for the missing information, it is likely that Monokuma has tampered with the audio of the video, possibly to obscure information that is vital to our means of escape."

"I suppose that's true," Hajime replied thoughtfully. "If he doesn't even know who was going to survive his trial, then he'd still provide the correct password for either party."

"Right." Sonia beamed at her remaining classmates. "Now that that is settled, shall we head off?"

"Sounds good to me," Fuyuhiko replied.

"Let's get outta here already," Akane chimed in.

"AGREED!" Minimaru cried.

And after a brief moment of finality, a brief moment where they surveyed their daily meeting for possibly the final time, the five survivors of the School Trip of Mutual Killing headed out of the restaurant and set off to the ruins on the second island.

Kazuichi found himself lost in thought as he walked. It was… difficult to tell if he'd ever see any of his surviving classmates again. Regardless of whether or not they had truly been students of Hope's Peak Academy, they all came from wildly different backgrounds, and it was entirely possible that they all lived in completely different prefectures. But, even if they never did see each other again, they could still contact one another via different means - right? Much as he yearned to escape the killing game, he realised, he'd really miss all of the friends he'd made, who were presently the only friends he had. He'd miss Akane and her boisterous strength, and Sonia and her beauty and courage. He'd miss Hajime and his efforts to lead his friends to a brighter future where murder and executions didn't play a part in their daily lives...

But, most of all, he'd miss Fuyuhiko and his bravery and change of heart, and everything he and Kazuichi had shared together after the second trial.

Could they really end their journey together on such a sour note? Was their friendship going to end here? Kazuichi couldn't even look at him without thinking to himself that he was a weakling who'd gotten too attached to a boy he'd only dated for five days. But… he had to overcome this. He needed to try to make contact with Fuyuhiko again, prepare to say goodbye. He wanted Fuyuhiko to be sure that they were still friends...

 _I've gotta be strong._

The students arrived at their destination. Towering before them was a large building that had fallen into ruin a long time ago.

 _I've gotta be strong._

Hajime hesitantly stepped forward and keyed in the password. A moment of tense silence ensued.

 _I've gotta be strong._

The doors of the ruins slowly swung open.


	29. Chapter 29: The Escape

_I apologise that this update was late! I won't bore you with all the gory details of why this chapter took so long, so I'm just gonna say that a bunch of internal and external obstacles interfered._

 _Now, the next chapter, Chapter 30, will also take a long time to complete because it will be the longest chapter in this entire story. This is because it is what I like to call a "very special chapter" - one that will reveal a lot of major things regarding Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko's relationship. And since the 23rd of March is this fanfiction's anniversary, although it's highly unlikely to be published on that day, it will serve as a special chapter for the anniversary as well._

 _Now, back to the story!_

* * *

 **Chapter 29: The Escape**

The next thing Fuyuhiko was aware of was his head resting upon a cool, solid surface. He slowly rose his head, holding his breath in anticipation, and gasped when he recognised his surroundings.

He was sitting in the middle of an arrangement of wooden desks, facing a large blackboard inprinted into the wall. Posters bearing reminders of basic English words, the layout of an essay, long division and other such things were plastered all over the walls. Small bookshelves lined either side of the room, which was only washed aglow by the overhead lights - the windows appeared to be boarded up.

He was back in the classroom he'd woken up in when the school trip began. The last thing he remembered after passing out at the entrance of Hope's Peak Academy… was waking up here.

He tentatively raised a hand to his left eye, making contact with a smooth, leathery material. His eyepatch was still there. A small wave of disappointment washed over him - he'd happily live through the entire killing game once more if it meant he could see Peko again, if it meant he could still be friends with Kazuichi without all the heartbreak, if it meant he could make things right. But… no. He couldn't think like that. He couldn't change the past. All he could do was move forward, for everyone's sake - for Peko's sake.

 _Ding dong, bing bong._

A grey monitor in the upper right-hand corner of the classroom flickered to life, and Monokuma appeared on the screen. He cleared his throat. "Testing, testing, one, two, three!" he cried, his voice reverberating around the classroom. "It feels like it's been forever since I used the P.A. system here… but whaddaya know, it appears to be working just fine! Anyway, I would just like to welcome you all to Hope's Peak Academy! This is where you will be graduating! The graduation ceremony will be taking place shortly, but for now, please meet in the gymnasium, where more details will be shared! I'll see you there!" After a cheerful little giggle, the monitor switched off, and the classroom was bathed in silence again.

Graduation ceremony…? Fuyuhiko thought as he dutifully stood up and moved behind his seat to push it into the desk he was sitting at, as though a teacher had just dismissed a class. Guess I should get goin', then. He made his way towards the classroom door and out into the hallway.

The hall was dark. The windows were boarded up, just like those in the classroom, and the area was only illuminated by a small, dim light overhead. The walls were a deep shade of purple, and the hard floor was a checkerboard pattern where purple and black squares came together in an even array. The swift, sudden blocks of glitching code had not escaped Fuyuhiko - they were still present, growing in intensity, and a door on the right-hand side of the hallway was infested with the stuff. Was that awkward situation where fallen students randomly appeared going to persist? Part of him hoped that he really would see Peko one last time, but more than that, he didn't want to deal with that anymore. Seeing and hearing Mahiru again, brief as it was, was awkward enough.

A pair of double doors awaited him at the end of the hallway, with no corrupted code guarding them. Something within Fuyuhiko compelled him to continue down the hallway, towards the double doors, and open them to see what lay behind them. Maybe they would lead to his destination, maybe not, but there was only one way to find out.

He cautiously opened the doors, and, indeed, the location Monokuma had requested him to go was right there - the gymnasium.

It was an enormous area whose entire floor was made up of glossy woodboards. In the centre of the room was a large basketball court, and within that was an assortment of abandoned balls that were intended for several different sports. At the front of the gymnasium, a gigantic stage stood proudly, boasting a podium and microphone at its centre and lined with thick red curtains. It looked like a perfectly normal gymnasium at a perfectly normal high school. Everything about it seemed… untouched. It felt as though a physical education class that had taken place in there had only been dismissed ten minutes ago.

Several questions surfaced to the front of Fuyuhiko's mind. Was this really Hope's Peak Academy? Why had it been abandoned? Why was Monokuma unable to enter this place? Everything was so confusing.

He'd been the first to arrive, so he carefully closed the doors behind him and made his way to stand in front of the stage. It didn't take long for the other students to join him, and by the time they'd all gathered, Monokuma had appeared, ready to explain their objective. It was rather simple - their graduation ceremony would be one final class trial, only instead of finding out who killed the victim, they were to discover the truth of why and how they ended up on Jabberwock Island. They were given some time to investigate the school and find as many clues about their situation as they could, in order to prepare for the class trial - similar to how they'd investigated the circumstances behind the deaths of their own classmates.

After he had finished explaining this, Monokuma vanished, and Hajime, Sonia and Akane went their separate ways.

"Hey."

Fuyuhiko was about to head back towards the way he'd come when the sound of Kazuichi's voice stopped him. He turned towards him. "Yeah?"

"Wanna investigate with me? I kinda wanna talk to you, anyway."

Fuyuhiko had figured as much. "Alright," he agreed. "But we shouldn't be screwin' around. This is goin' towards us gettin' outta here, y'know."

Kazuichi shrugged. "Y'know Hajime's gonna find all the evidence anyway," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you can be a freeloader," said Fuyuhiko.

"Fine, fine, I'll help," Kazuichi sighed.

The tension in the air had cleared a little after this exchange, and Fuyuhiko relaxed a little more as he and Kazuichi walked out of the gymnasium and back into the hallway… well, it was a completely different hallway, Fuyuhiko realised, as he blinked in confusion. He swore that the hallway he'd come from was purple and curved, but this one was evidently blue, and its path was straightened out.

"Man, I can't be the only one who's trippin' balls, right?" said Kazuichi. "I swear this glitchy stuff everywhere ain't just me…"

Fuyuhiko shook his head. "It ain't just you," he assured him. "I'm seein' it too. Things are gettin' really fuckin' weird."

"You got that right."

They were walking slowly, uneasily, despite Fuyuhiko's insistence on being prompt. After a momentary silence, Fuyuhiko spoke up. "You said you wanted to talk to me?"

Kazuichi nodded. "Yeah. Y'know, since… we might not even see each other again, after this."

Fuyuhiko swallowed. He hadn't really thought about that… he and Kazuichi had to be from completely opposite sides of Japan. How would they ever meet again? Sure, they could text each other, but… it wouldn't be the same. "You're right," he said quietly. "After this… it's all over, for the two of us." He chuckled. "I didn't come here expectin' to have any friends, but… guess things change."

"Yeah…" Kazuichi took a deep breath. "I still consider you a friend too, y'know, but… it's just… hard."

"It's fine," Fuyuhiko assured him. "I mean… I get why you were avoidin' me and all."

"Yeah… so I just wanted to let you know that… you're still my friend. You're still… my Soul Friend. Dunno when those… those other feelings will go away, but…"

"No, no, I getcha. You're… still my friend, too. We're still Soul Friends or whatever the hell you wanna call it."

He heard Kazuichi breathe a sigh of relief, and their uncertain trudges evolved into faster, more confident strides. Before long, they'd stopped in front of a large door that didn't seem to have any of the obtrusive pixels and code in the way. Fuyuhiko reached out to grasp the handle, and sure enough, the door opened with relative ease.

They entered a large, open area that was tinted in a mild pink light. Cherry blossom trees lined the room, surrounded by small green bushes, and pink flower petals rained down upon the gravel. At the far end of the room was a large set of targets.

Fuyuhiko's breath hitched momentarily as nostalgia crashed upon him like a relentless ocean wave. It didn't take him long to identify the room as a dojo, and upon this realisation, thoughts of home resurfaced. Indeed, Kuzuryuu Manor was large enough to house a dojo, almost equally extravagant compared to this one, and it was the place where Peko had spent most of her free time. Fuyuhiko would often watch her, enthralled, as she perfected her moves and sliced through training dummies with her sword like a knife through butter. Of course, when she was very young, one of Fuyuhiko's elder cousins would train with her, but she'd been such a fast learner that Fuyuhiko barely even remembered this at all.

"Hey, man," Kazuichi murmured beside him. "Is somethin' up?"

Moments of silence passed. Fuyuhiko absently watched as the soft cherry blossom petals fell gracefully from the trees. When he spoke, his voice was uncharacteristically quiet. "Peko would've loved this."

"You think so?" Kazuichi asked curiously.

"Yeah… she's real serious about her trainin'. She insisted on practicin' at least two hours every day. She often woke up at the crack of dawn just to spend some time workin' out without interruption."

"Whoa…" Kazuichi's eyes widened, awed. "Well, she really was great at her talent, huh?"

Fuyuhiko nodded in agreement. His thoughts traveled back to her execution. Peko would've been able to survive it had he stayed out of the way and not interfered, right? She'd been doing such a good job taking down those mooks. Sure, the numbers intensified after each moment, and for a normal person it'd have to be overwhelming, but nonetheless, she'd been holding her own with minimal trouble. It was his fault that she was gone now, and if he'd just stayed where he was and let her do what she needed to do…

He shook his head defiantly. No, even if he hadn't interfered, Monokuma still would've found some way to kill her off. The army of Monokumas would've grown to the point where even she would be overwhelmed. Even if she was the Ultimate Swordswoman, Peko had her limits and weaknesses, and Monokuma would've found some way to exploit them - and, in a way, he already had, Fuyuhiko realised.

"I hope she's happy," he murmured quietly. "Wherever she is… I hope she's doing well." Deep down inside, he harboured a feeling characterised by warmth, a feeling that he was certain of, a feeling that Peko was watching over him. He didn't have a clue what this phenomenon of seeing his deceased classmates was all about, but nonetheless, he was hopeful that his childhood friend was watching him. He was hopeful that she was proud of him for surviving the killing game.

A single tear rolled down his cheek as he quietly observed the falling cherry blossom petals once more. Kazuichi gently placed a hand on his shoulder without saying a word, and Fuyuhiko barely noticed that he'd inadvertently leaned a little into his friend as he blinked the tears away from his misty eye.

* * *

Fuyuhiko gripped the podium he stood before so tightly that colour drained from his knuckles. He turned his gaze away from the enormous, pigtailed high school girl who loomed before the circle of podiums where he and his remaining classmates stood. That girl, Junko Enoshima, the mastermind of the killing game, had told them of so many horrifying things, so many revelations that he hoped weren't true. Well, he was certain that they had been placed in a virtual reality - that would explain all the glitches - and he was hopeful that Peko really could return to him. But everything else…

He shook his head. There was no way in hell that he and his classmates, as "Ultimate Despair", had taken part in the destruction of the outside world. If that was true… He swallowed, struggling to keep his balance upright. If the world really was in such a disarray, then that meant the Kuzuryuu Clan had fallen… right? It was a horrifying thought. The thought that he was responsible for his own clan's downfall was even worse.

And then there was the whole "lost memories" ordeal. Now that Hajime had provided all the evidence he could find to support this fact, including a photo of an older-looking Hiyoko, Fuyuhiko wasn't sure what to make of it. On one hand, it did explain the vividness of the dream he'd had back in the Funhouse - even now, he was still able to recall every little detail of it, though doing so caused his heart to clench painfully now that he and Kazuichi had broken up. On the other hand, as Kazuichi had pointed out, there was no way he and Kazuichi would ever agree to date under normal circumstances. The consequences were too great for such a risk. If their memories really had been taken from them, and they really had been students of Hope's Peak for a year or two prior, then perhaps he and Kazuichi had simply been close friends. But he wasn't sure. He just didn't know either way.

"...oh, right, I almost forgot to talk about the lovers of despair," Junko murmured to herself.

Fuyuhiko immediately turned his gaze towards her now that she'd caught his attention. Lovers of despair. That was the very same derogatory term Nagito had used in reference to him and Kazuichi.

Junko's previously-narrowed eyes suddenly widened like an excited child on Christmas morning as she enthusiastically clasped her hands together. "That forbidden romance was almost as intriguing and despair-inducing as I remember!" she squealed, like a teenage girl passionately talking about her favourite idol. "I'm so glad I told everyone about it at such a good time!"

"You're a sick fuck!" Fuyuhiko shouted. He'd be strangling her by then, but he restrained himself, knowing that that would only make things worse for himself and his classmates. "Go read that fuckin' Korean comic where the two guys fuck each other up if you wanna get off on that shit so badly!"

"Fiction isn't quite as entertaining as the real world, Fuyuhiko," Junko replied, lowering her voice as her eyes narrowed again. She folded her arms across her chest. "Trust me, I've tried my hand at just reading books and watching anime for awhile, but it's always so predictable, y'know? Besides, an otaku's life is one that only a deluded loser would turn to."

Fuyuhiko gritted his teeth. "I'm gonna kill you!" he threatened hoarsely. His heart rate had picked up speed, and sweat had began to travel down his skin.

"Wait…" Kazuichi spoke up. "So… Fuyuhiko and I really were in a relationship back at Hope's Peak?"

"Well, fuckin' duh!" Junko bellowed, and the sudden loudness of her voice made everyone jump. "You two were gettin' all frisky with each other behind closed doors, yet you never told anyone what was going on!"

"Wh-what…?" Fuyuhiko gulped, discombobulated.

"Well, okay, perhaps I was exaggerating a little. But the point is, you, the lovers of despair, maintained a secret relationship for a few months. You were aware of the risks and consequences involved, yet you persistently continued it anyway. It was your shortsightedness and your hope that led your relationship - as well as the both of you as individuals - into despair."

Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi exchanged shocked glances as the other survivors gasped.

"Shocking, isn't it?" Junko laughed in a way that was almost identical to how Monokuma did, which wasn't too surprising, as she was the one who'd been controlling him the entire time. "The reality is, that relationship had no potential for hope from the beginning. You're both male, you come from two completely different worlds, not to mention that Fuyuhiko's expected to marry a woman in order to continue the Kuzuryuu bloodline. It's as though a lion fell in love with a lamb - and in this case, I'm surprised that the lion never caved into his temptations to eat the lamb whole!"

Once again, Fuyuhiko held an iron grip on his podium. He felt nauseous, his stomach churning unpleasantly as though it was having difficulty digesting the breakfast he'd eaten that morning. He knew he had no way to know exactly what had happened in the past at the time, but nonetheless, he was angry at his past self for not breaking it off at the right time. He realised that Akane was right - dumping Kazuichi during what was probably the most traumatic, most stressful time in his entire life had been a dumb move, especially since Nagito hadn't even been targeting them because of societal pressures. The truth was, he'd been targeting them - as well as their classmates - because they'd all served Junko, and they'd all assisted her in the beginning of the end of the world.

On second thought, lovers of despair was actually an apt description of him and Kazuichi.

The rest of the sixth and final trial passed by in a blur, and Fuyuhiko had stopped paying his utmost attention, too focused on his own thoughts. At some point, three Future Foundation members had materialised in the trial room, and Junko presented the survivors of the School Life of Mutual Killing a choice on whether or not they wanted to go through the graduation ceremony. If they did, their "dead" classmates, who were comatose in the real world, would wake up and effectively act much like their normal selves, except that Junko would be controlling their bodies and using them to initiate her plan to turn everyone in the world into copies of herself. If the survivors didn't graduate, however, they would wake up without the memories they'd obtained in the Neo World Program, and there was a high possibility that they would revert right back to their Ultimate Despair selves. This also meant that Hajime, as well as the others' memories of him, would disappear entirely in order to be replaced with the superhuman he'd turned into at some point during his time at Hope's Peak - Izuru Kamukura.

But, thanks to Hajime, they'd come up with a third option. With newfound hope and determination in their eyes, the five survivors simultaneously pressed the button on each of their podiums in order to initiate the forced shutdown of the Neo World Program.

As Junko's anguished screams echoed around the trial grounds, which crumbled into messes of corrupted code, Fuyuhiko glanced around him, his eye passing the portraits of each deceased student, momentarily pausing upon Peko's. He faced the confident, yet nervous, expression of Akane, then Sonia, then Hajime, all three of whom gave him a thumbs-up. His eye then landed upon Kazuichi, who was staring right back at him, his eyes conveying a multitude of different emotions - fear, melancholy, anticipation. Fuyuhiko's heart clenched with guilt, knowing that he hurt Kazuichi for no reason, even if he'd thought that it was for the best. But he knew that there was nothing he could do about the past. All he could do was create a better future, for not only himself, but Kazuichi, and everyone else. Even if they'd all had a messy past… it wasn't too late to make up for it by moving forward and creating a more hopeful future - right?

Kazuichi raised a hand and waved silently at Fuyuhiko.

Fuyuhiko waved back just as everything faded to black.

 _See you in the real world, Kazu._


	30. Chapter 30: The Lovers of Despair Part 1

_So this chapter has been published on FFN a couple days later than on Danganronpa Anino and Archive Of Our Own. I apologise for that! It's probably not that big a deal since there's only like one regular reader of this fic over here, but I'd still like to apologise and say that I was too busy to get this chapter published in time._

 _Anyway, I've actually decided to split Chapter 30 into two parts and publish the first part now - this is all I've written for it so far, and somehow, it's already gone over 5000 words! I do want to keep the chapter lengths as consistent as possible, so... yeah._

 _Now, please enjoy Chapter 30... so far._

* * *

 **Chapter 30: The Lovers of Despair, Part 1**

 _—One Year Before—_

As the final bell sounded throughout Hope's Peak Academy, the students of Class 77 collectively rose to their feet, gathered their books and began to disperse, chatting to one another as they did so.

"Remember that Exercise 5.2 is due this Thursday!" their teacher called after them.

Gripping his books tightly, Kazuichi made his way towards his dorm in order to put them away. He'd planned to spend his free time that afternoon in the school's warehouse, since a younger student had given him a broken smartphone and asked him to try and fix it for him. He didn't work with smartphones very often, but this one simply had a cracked screen and a damaged USB port, so he was sure that it wouldn't take long to fix - he just needed the time to concentrate.

Once he'd arrived at his dorm, Kazuichi took the key out of one of his many pockets and unlocked the door, heading inside. He dumped his books on his bed and opened the drawer beneath his desk, grabbing the broken phone and placing it securely in his pocket. While he always carried around a few essential tools, the warehouse was stocked with an endless supply of tools that would be suitable for any job, so the phone was all he needed to take with him. With a satisfied hum, he walked back out of his dorm, making sure to lock the door behind him before he left. He then hurried back to the classroom to join his classmates in cleaning up the school. The jobs didn't take long to complete when everyone pitched in and helped out, and the classrooms were all squeaky-clean before he knew it, and he was on his way to the warehouse.

The walk from his classroom to the warehouse was a fairly long one, and most of it was spent outside, but he didn't mind. Although many of his classmates had complained that the temperature was too hot, it wasn't actually that bad; then again, Kazuichi rarely felt the need to wear anything other than his baggy blue jumpsuit. Regardless, the sun pleasantly shone upon him as he walked with a content smile on his face.

"Hey!" a sudden, gruff voice called.

Kazuichi cried out as someone roughly tugged at his sleeve, and before he knew it, he was slammed against a large tree. Three boys faced him with menacing smirks upon their angular faces. Two of them were large and muscular with broad shoulders, and although the other appeared to be a little shorter and lankier, his body still effortlessly filled out his school uniform. They all had different-coloured hair in a similar messy style - one had black hair, one had red, and one had blond.

"You're an Ultimate, ain't ya?" the brunette snarled. "Ultimate Mechanic. Pretty easy to tell, goin' by that gaudy jumpsuit you're wearin'."

"Wow, I didn't know that mechanics are adoptin' that punk rock style now," the shorter, redheaded boy piped up. "Listen, kid - you look like a retard."

"Yeah," the blond - the one who was pinning him to the tree - agreed. "I dunno why they accepted you as an Ultimate, 'cuz you clearly ain't cut out for one." With a malicious smile on his face, he dug his hand into one of Kazuichi's pockets and pulled out the broken smartphone.

"H-hey!" Kazuichi protested, his voice an octave higher than he'd intended it. "Give that back! I gotta fix it!"

The bullies looked at each other, their eyes shining with a new idea they'd collectively thought of. Then they turned back towards Kazuichi. "Let's put your skills to the test, shall we?" the redhead challenged. "Let's see if you, the so-called Ultimate Mechanic, can fix something that's broken to the point where you can't even tell what the hell it's s'posed to be!"

The blond raised his fist, his fingers gripping the phone a little tighter.

"No!" Kazuichi cried as he desperately struggled against his grip. "You can't-!"

"What the fuck are you guys doin'!?"

The three bullies paused for a moment as they turned their heads towards the source of the new voice, and the blond's grip against Kazuichi loosened slightly. Kazuichi gulped as he caught sight of his classmate Fuyuhiko, who stood nearby with his arms crossed, eyes narrowed in anger. Great, he thought in despair, of course someone else had to come along and join in…

"And who the hell are you s'posed to be, kid?" the brunette asked.

Fury briefly flashed in Fuyuhiko's eyes, but he maintained his composure and instead smirked at the three bullies. "I'm Fuyuhiko motherfuckin' Kuzuryuu, the Ultimate Yakuza, and I'm tellin' you talentless losers to leave my classmate alone, or I'll kill you."

The redhead snickered. "Ultimate Yakuza? Don't fuck with me, kid, you don't look like a Yakuza to me."

Fuyuhiko's face flushed crimson in intense anger as he brandished his student identification card, which had some basic details about him, including his talent. "This enough to convince you?" he seethed.

The bullies' eyes widened, dumbstruck, and Kazuichi was promptly dropped onto the ground on his bottom like a hot potato. "Whoa, he's not even kiddin'..." the brunette murmured to himself as Kazuichi rubbed the back of his head, stunned. "We can't screw around with him! Let's go!"

The blond dumped the smartphone into Kazuichi's lap, and he and his companions scurried away from the scene without another word.

Kazuichi made no move to stand up, as he was instead gaping, wide-eyed, at Fuyuhiko. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the Ultimate Yakuza, the boy who never spoke kindly of or to anyone in his class, had done something nice for him. It was a moment that would assuredly top something equally ridiculous, like Gundam actually speaking like a normal person, or Teruteru not making any suggestive comments for an entire class.

"H-hey, um…" He couldn't even speak properly; the shock of the situation had left him tongue-tied. "I didn't expect you to do that, but-"

Fuyuhiko cut him off. "Don't overthink it," he said. "And don't use this as an excuse to follow me around or anythin'. I was just givin' those Reserve Course fuckheads what they deserved." He turned around and began to walk away, indicating that the discussion was over.

With a trembling hand and his mind running in a million directions, Kazuichi slowly stood up and pocketed the phone once more. There was no denying it - this had to be the first time he'd ever seen Fuyuhiko do anything nice for anyone. The only time he willingly spoke to anyone else was to threaten them, and generally be vulgar and abusive. He seemed to think of himself as above everyone else, and because of that, Kazuichi had always harboured a resentment towards him. But since he, of all people, had saved him from a trio of bullies, it was… difficult to maintain that resentment. Admittedly, jealousy had been a part of it; Kazuichi envied Fuyuhiko for how he never seemed to care what anyone thought of him, and for being the intimidating, no-nonsense boy Kazuichi had strived to be. Even if he was short, with chubby, rosy cheeks, Fuyuhiko was still downright frightening at times.

With a resigned shrug, Kazuichi began to walk towards the warehouse once again. Maybe he should follow Fuyuhiko's advice and not overthink it. Maybe Fuyuhiko had simply been in a very good mood. Either way, he was grateful towards him, and he hoped that one day, he'd be able to properly express his gratitude.

* * *

Sure enough, by the next day, Fuyuhiko had reverted right back to his usual self. As always, he arrived at classes earlier than anyone else, and dutifully completed his work in silence, not counting his occasional threats to end Hiyoko's life when she'd decided to pelt pencil shavings at him. The rest of the week passed by without incident, as though the incident with the Reserve Course students had never even happened. Kazuichi had successfully repaired the smartphone, and the younger student was overjoyed when he returned it to him.

The lack of changes in Fuyuhiko's behaviour disappointed Kazuichi, especially when, early the next week, he roughly pushed him away and gave him an earful when he'd accidentally bumped into him just as their second class for the day was dismissed. He resigned himself to the fact that his act of kindness really was a one-time thing, but nonetheless, he was disheartened, and he had to admit that he'd like to be friends with him, if only he'd stop being so rude and threatening.

So he was dumbstruck when, during lunchtime on Wednesday, Fuyuhiko walked up to the small table that Kazuichi typically occupied all by himself and sat opposite him, placing his bento in the space in front of him.

Kazuichi quickly observed his surroundings. The cafeteria was always packed, especially during the colder months, but nonetheless, there were always plenty of places to sit, including a couple of smaller tables occupied by those who didn't have any friends, or simply preferred to sit alone. Fuyuhiko always ate at the table in the far left-hand corner, and that table wasn't occupied.

"You've got plenty of other places to sit," Kazuichi told him. "So why sit here?"

Fuyuhiko shrugged as he snapped his chopsticks apart. "Just felt like sittin' here for a change."

"But you could've sat at that table over there." Kazuichi pointed towards one of the empty tables. "I know you don't like sittin' with other people, so…"

"Shut up and stop questionin' my decisions," Fuyuhiko snapped. "If you don't wanna sit with me, you're more than welcome to move somewhere else."

"But I was here first!" Kazuichi protested.

"You always sit here."

"Yeah, so what?"

"So it can't hurt to sit somewhere else."

Kazuichi sighed. There was no use arguing at that point, unless he wanted to get into a physical fight with Fuyuhiko. There was no way that would end well. He thus stayed put and ate his lunch in silence, and Fuyuhiko did likewise.

He contemplated thanking Fuyuhiko for saving him from the Reserve Course bullies. He couldn't help but feel hesitant about speaking to Fuyuhiko at all; after all, no one in their class could hold a civilised conversation with him. They always received death threats whenever they so much as spoke to Fuyuhiko. On the other hand… he found it hard to believe that Fuyuhiko had decided to sit at his table for no reason. It was… strangely out-of-character for him - but then again, so was the incident with the bullies. Maybe, under these circumstances, Kazuichi could talk to Fuyuhiko without getting killed.

He took a deep breath. "U-um, I just wanna thank you for savin' me from those Reserve Course jerks last week," he said. He mentally slapped himself as the words came out. I sound like such a goddamn damsel in distress!

"I was just passin' by," Fuyuhiko replied. "It wasn't my intention to be some awe-inspirin' hero or some shit."

"Still, though… what you did was pretty cool. If you hadn't stopped 'em, they would've completely disfigured this phone someone asked me to fix! I was still able to fix it 'cuz of you!"

Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Don't count on me savin' you from those assholes again."

The exchange had turned out better than Kazuichi thought it would. Granted, Fuyuhiko was still as vulgar and aloof as ever, but somehow, he didn't seem genuinely angry with Kazuichi or anything. Something about him had changed, if only a little - but what had triggered it?

Feeling emboldened, Kazuichi figured that this time they spent together would not go to waste. "So, whaddaya like to do in your free time?" he asked.

"Why d'you wanna know?" Fuyuhiko countered.

Kazuichi shrugged. "I'm just tryin' to start up a conversation, dude."

Fuyuhiko let out an annoyed huff. "Fine. I like to read crime novels. And I'm guessin' you like sittin' in that warehouse all day buildin' and fixin' shit, right?"

Kazuichi nodded enthusiastically. "I've always wanted to know exactly how things work so that I can pull 'em apart and stick 'em back together again," he chirped. "And the sound of engines revvin' gets me so pumped up!"

Fuyuhiko wrinkled his nose. "You really oughta take a shower," he commented. "I swear, you always smell like you've been rollin' around in car oil for the past few hours."

"It's not that bad," Kazuichi argued. "Actually smells alright when you get used to it."

"Yeah, I doubt that fuckin' princess you love so much will agree with ya."

Kazuichi's eyes widened as a sudden realisation dawned on him. "Oh, goddamn, you're right!" he wailed as he dropped his chopsticks right into his bento box. "Dude, you gotta help me! You're a Yakuza and you prolly have tattoos and shit, so you gotta have some real good cologne, right!?"

"No," Fuyuhiko stated firmly. "Just take a goddamn shower. There should be soap and shit in your bathroom, and if you actually bothered to use them, then maybe you'll stop smellin' like a gas station."

"You're such an asshole," Kazuichi grumbled.

"I know I am, and you're gonna hafta get used to it."

"I already have! Do you ever listen to yourself when you talk to other people? Geez…"

For the briefest of moments, Fuyuhiko tensed. Then, still sounding confident as ever, he said, "'Course I do. Nothin' wrong with it."

Kazuichi could only groan. He supposed that some things never changed. But other things certainly had, and, from that moment onwards, he began to realise that maybe, disregarding his talent and high status, Fuyuhiko was just a normal teenage boy.

* * *

Most of the students of Class 77 had arrived in class on time, and were now seated at their respective desks, casually chatting with one another. Kazuichi stared at the back of Sonia's head as they waited for their teacher, Chisa Yukizome, to arrive.

"Psst, Kazuichi!" a voice behind him whispered. Kazuichi was surprised that he'd even been able to hear it, given the classroom's noise level.

He turned his head, facing Ibuki, the girl who sat directly behind him. "Yeah?" he replied. "What's with the whisperin'?" He was surprised that Ibuki hadn't shouted for his attention as though he sat on the opposite side of the room.

Ibuki gestured to the student who sat only a few seats away from her - Fuyuhiko. "Ibuki has to be very quiet when she's talking about Fuyuhiko, or he'll blow her brains out!" she claimed in a low voice. "That's why Ibuki's wondering how you managed to talk to him without getting killed! Ibuki saw you sitting with him at lunchtime, and now she's wondering what's going on!"

Kazuichi sighed. He'd kind of expected at least some of his classmates to start asking questions. Fuyuhiko willingly sitting at a table with anyone was big news. "I dunno either," he said. "He just… came and sat at my table. That's it."

"No, that's not it!" Ibuki protested. "There's more to it than that! Don't lie to Ibuki! She saw you talking to him and everything!" Her voice rose in exasperation the more she spoke, and by then some of the other students sitting near her were giving her confused glances.

"Well, I had a conversation with him," Kazuichi informed her.

"And he didn't threaten you or anything?"

Kazuichi nodded.

"Whoa!" She was shouting now, and all heads turned towards her. "That's so weird that the world should've exploded by now! Hey, that sounds like a good song title, don'tcha think? "The World Exploded Because A Salty Boy Had A Civil Conversation With His Classmate And Didn't Even Kill Him In The End?"

Kazuichi was certain that, judging by the death glare Fuyuhiko was giving her, if Yukizome-sensei hadn't walked in at that moment and began class, Ibuki would've been dead meat.

* * *

Following that incident, Fuyuhiko hadn't approached Kazuichi again, and his perpetually-foul mood had gotten worse over the next few days. At the end of one afternoon class, he'd even managed to pick a fight with Akane, who was so intent on pinning him down and defeating him that she'd accidentally broken a window in the process. Fuyuhiko and Akane each received a detention, and Akane was expected to pay for the damage. Kazuichi wasn't sure how she was supposed to do that - the cost was hefty, and from what little he knew of Akane and her family, they weren't very well-off. In the days following the fight, he noticed that Akane seemed to be rather tense and stressed-out.

Fuyuhiko still had a long way to go, he knew. It would take him quite awhile to resolve his problems and interact with his classmates like a normal human being.

The weekend passed by without incident, and before Kazuichi knew it, it was Monday morning, and he had just entered his classroom for homeroom when he caught sight of a note on his desk. People rarely left notes on his desk, and when they did, they often tended to contain disparaging messages such as "kill yourself" and "no one likes you" - but that was back in middle school. The only Hope's Peak student who'd left such notes at his desk was Hiyoko, though she'd stopped shortly after getting close with Mahiru. Kazuichi's heart sank - had she managed to sneakily write him one again? If she did, maybe he could show it to Mahiru; he knew that none of the teachers would care.

Kazuichi hesitantly picked up the note and began to examine it, sighing with relief when he realised that it wasn't Hiyoko's handwriting this time. Instead, the hiragana and kanji symbols were drawn in a way that was tidy, yet aggressive, forming a message that left him stunned.

 _Meet me at my dorm straight after today's classes. You'd better not be late._

 _Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu_

Any student of Hope's Peak Academy who received a note from Fuyuhiko had a reason to fear. If Fuyuhiko wanted to talk to someone, or meet up with them somewhere, it usually meant that he wanted to beat them up. Had Kazuichi done something wrong? Was Fuyuhiko still mad about the conversation he'd had with Ibuki after their encounter at lunchtime? Or maybe… maybe Fuyuhiko hadn't given up on him after all. Maybe he was still intent on changing for the better, somehow…

He slipped the note into one of his pockets and took a seat, anticipating Yukizome-sensei's arrival.

* * *

Kazuichi was too excited and nervous to concentrate on his classes that day. Paying attention was never his strong suit - sitting right behind Sonia admittedly didn't help - but that day, it was so obvious that he wasn't focused that all of the teachers he had that day had reprimanded him at least once. It felt as though years had passed before the final bell rang at last, and, after putting all of his books away, Kazuichi immediately hurried off to the dorms.

Each and every dorm bore a pixelated portrait of its occupant on its door, so it was fairly easy to tell which one was Fuyuhiko's, and it didn't take long to find. He knew that Hiyoko had a tendency to switch the portraits around, though, so he hoped that the room he was standing in front of really was Fuyuhiko's. He was relieved when Fuyuhiko walked up to him shortly afterwards and seamlessly unlocked the door.

"Get inside," he ordered.

Kazuichi gulped and nodded as he obeyed. He took a moment to examine his surroundings. Fuyuhiko's dorm had the same overall layout as all the other dorms, which was unsurprising. However, Fuyuhiko's dorm, unlike his own, was actually neat and tidy. His bed was made, his clothes were put away, and nothing littered the floor. A large briefcase rested beside his bed, and a strong aroma of cinnamon hung in the air. He wondered if anyone else had ever set foot in Fuyuhiko's dorm before - well, the teachers and staff checking in for room inspection didn't count. He wondered if this was the first time Fuyuhiko had ever invited anyone to his dorm.

This feels really personal all of a sudden, he thought.

"Sit on my bed," Fuyuhiko barked, and Kazuichi did so without complaint. Fuyuhiko took a seat beside him shortly afterward.

"So, uh… why'd you invite me in here?" Kazuichi tentatively inquired.

"We"re watchin' a movie," Fuyuhiko replied.

"A-a movie?" Kazuichi repeated. "Why?"

"'Cuz I said so." Fuyuhiko paused for a moment. "You can leave if you don't wanna watch it, though. 'S up to you."

Kazuichi swallowed. "I ain't gonna leave, man! I'm down with watchin' a movie with you! I-I'm just…"

"Wonderin' why I'm actin' so weird?" Fuyuhiko finished for him, after a short, uneasy silence.

Kazuichi nodded. "Seriously, man. First you saved me from a run-in with some bullies, then you sat at my lunch table with me, and now you're wantin' to watch a movie with me? I mean, I'm all for bein' friends with you, or whatever you want, but… I thought you didn't even want any friends."

Another unsettling silence followed. Kazuichi was anxious that Fuyuhiko would throttle him and kick him out of the dorm - but instead, he simply sighed. "Look, that time you were bein' hassled by those Reserve Course assholes, I really was just passin' by. I was on my way over to Nohara-sensei's office to ask him a question 'bout the homework he'd assigned us the day before. Y'know, the shit about neurons and the nervous system? Anyway, I stopped and scared those fuckheads off 'cuz seein' them messin' with one of my classmates really pissed me off. I know those guys are insanely jealous of us Ultimates, and I think they've been harassin' Ultimates from other classes, too."

"Whoa…" Kazuichi murmured. "I mean, I get they're disappointed and all, but can't they just leave us alone?"

Fuyuhiko shrugged. "Bein' a Reserve Course kid ain't exactly a piece of cake, from what I've heard," he said. "But I don't think all Reserve Course kids are like that. Some of 'em are pretty decent people. Anyway, after that shit went down, well… someone I know encouraged me to try to open up more, try to be more… approachable, I s'pose. She thought it'd benefit me somehow. So… that's why I sat with you at lunch, and that's why I'm here with you now."

Man, he really is changin', Kazuichi thought, awed. Whoever it was that had spurred Fuyuhiko to be more friendly had made a really good move.

"I also paid for the damage Akane did to the window the other day," Fuyuhiko added. "'S my fault she broke it. I was the one who insisted on fightin' her."

"Wow, really?" Kazuichi gasped. "B-but the repairs for that window are so expensive!"

Fuyuhiko shrugged. "Texted my old man to see if he'd be willin' to lend me a few million yen," he explained. "Had to make up some bullshit story 'bout losin' my uniform and all my textbooks to convince him, though."

Kazuichi was speechless. This… couldn't be right. This boy sitting beside him wasn't really Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, right? It almost felt as though he was talking to a completely different person. Maybe being friends with this guy wasn't such a bad idea after all...

"Now then," Fuyuhiko continued without waiting for a response, as though he'd never said any of the things he had in the last two minutes. He dug around in his pocket for a moment, before extracting his phone from it. "I ain't got a laptop or anythin' - I've only got the movie on my phone. You'll just hafta deal with the tiny-ass screen."

"Oh, I've got a projector in my dorm!" Kazuichi cried excitedly. "I built it myself a couple months ago, but I never got the chance to use it much. It can project pretty much anythin' that's got a display, from laptops to smartphones to those old handheld game consoles!"

"Sounds pretty nifty," said Fuyuhiko. "I haven't got a whole lotta wall space in here, but we could give it a try."

"I think it'll work pretty well," Kazuichi assured him confidently as he stood up. "I'll be back in a moment or two, just gotta grab everythin' I need!"

* * *

It took Kazuichi around ten minutes to get the projector up and running in Fuyuhiko's dorm, but the wait was worth it. He hadn't been able to create a very large screen due to the limited wall space, and as a result the picture turned out a little squashed, but nonetheless, he and Fuyuhiko were able to see it clearly from where they sat on Fuyuhiko's bed.

The movie Fuyuhiko had picked out for them turned out to be a Yakuza movie called A Man from Abashiri Prison, and Kazuichi was surprised by how much he'd actually enjoyed it. The action scenes enthralled him, and by the time the credits rolled, he was sure that he now had a better understanding of Fuyuhiko's background (though Fuyuhiko insisted that some aspects of the Yakuza lifestyle depicted in the movie were fabricated or exaggerated).

After the movie had ended, Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi exchanged phone numbers, and Kazuichi returned to his own dorm. He wasn't quite sure if Fuyuhiko thought so of him, but he knew for sure that that was the day he first saw Fuyuhiko as a friend.

And, as time went on, he began to feel much more confident that Fuyuhiko thought of him as a friend, too. Ever since they'd watched the movie together, Fuyuhiko had become a lot more relaxed around him, and soon enough, the sight of him and Kazuichi together was not an uncommon one for the rest of the students. It didn't take long for the rest of Class 77 to recognise them as close friends, and nowadays, people were much more likely to be able to hold a civilised conversation with Fuyuhiko, as he didn't lose his temper quite as much as before.

Their friendship grew deeper the more time flew past and the more they trusted each other. Eventually, Fuyuhiko began to tell him about more personal aspects of his life - his sister, Natsumi, who was in the Reserve Course; their classmate, Peko, who turned out to be Fuyuhiko's most trusted bodyguard, companion and confidant; his family, who shunned him for being the heir of their clan due to his apparent weakness and their belief that Natsumi was a better choice; and his own deep-seated anxieties and insecurities, mostly pertaining to his responsibilities and worthiness of being heir, as well as his dependence on Peko. In turn, Kazuichi shared his own backstory and insecurities - how his previous best friend, Kazuki, had betrayed him in middle school; the bullying he'd suffered during that time; how he'd dyed his hair, sharpened his teeth and started wearing contacts afterwards; and his fears that despite everything, he was still incredibly weak.

It was just as Kazuichi had suspected after Fuyuhiko's sudden, initial acts of kindness and hospitality - despite his talent, background and prickly exterior, Fuyuhiko was ultimately a normal high school boy. He was human. And Kazuichi couldn't help but wonder if he'd be any different if he'd been raised as a normal boy, if he'd been born without any ties to the Yakuza.

It had been shortly after Kazuichi had christened Fuyuhiko as his "Soul Friend" and Fuyuhiko, in return, had dubbed him as his "brother" when Kazuichi began to notice unsettling changes in his feelings towards Fuyuhiko. He'd already started to lose interest in Sonia after she and Gundam had started dating, knowing that he had no hope in winning her over and realising that his feelings for her weren't quite as deep as he thought they were. But his feelings for Fuyuhiko had somehow began to run deeper than how one thought of their best friend. They were turning to a completely different direction - a direction that had the potential to ruin this odd, yet meaningful, friendship they shared. And the very possibility of having those feelings for Fuyuhiko - or any male at all - scared Kazuichi.

He decided that the best thing to do was to ignore them and focus on his studies. They would go away eventually, he was not gay, he was just in a phase, and everything would return to normal. It seemed as though this strategy was working at first, but then Kazuichi caught himself staring at Fuyuhiko's face a little too intently, counting the freckles sprinkled across his nose and staring longingly at his lips. After that, the feelings grew stronger, louder, hard to ignore, and Kazuichi had no choice but to face the truth - he was in deep trouble. There were so many reasons against telling Fuyuhiko about his feelings that actually doing so was practically suicide. He'd heard Fuyuhiko occasionally use homophobic slurs, especially before they became friends. And while same-sex relationships were rarely discussed in Hope's Peak Academy, he was almost certain that the Kuzuryuus were openly against it… and that meant that Fuyuhiko had to be too, right?

It soon got to the point where simply being around Fuyuhiko grew to be painful. Every time he looked at him, he was reminded of the fact that he was infatuated with another man, and that, if Fuyuhiko ever found out about his feelings, their friendship would end as quickly as a pin being dropped. And he was concerned that, with the way he was acting as his anxiety slowly bubbled to the surface, Fuyuhiko would find out eventually.

He'd been so caught up in his own problems that he'd almost completely failed to realise that Fuyuhiko seemed to be going through tough times as well. His short temper had been even shorter over the past few days, and he'd grown much more distant from everyone else, including Kazuichi. Kazuichi had realised this as he lay in bed one Friday night. It was lights-out, meaning that no one was allowed to leave their dorm, so Kazuichi, wanting to talk to Fuyuhiko as soon as possible, sat up and reached for his phone on the bedside table.

 _KS: hey bro, you still awake?_

It wasn't a big deal if Fuyuhiko had gone to sleep already - Kazuichi could always talk to him the next day - but some kind of closure on whatever his problem was would be great to achieve as soon as possible.

 _FK: Yeah, but it's lights-out. You'd better make this quick, and it'd better not just be some dumb meme you wanna show me again._

 _KS: no no no, i'm just wondering if you've been doing alright lately_

 _KS: i've noticed that you've been acting kinda weird these past few days… everything ok back home with the yakuza and stuff?_

 _FK: Yeah, everything's fine back home._

 _FK: Well, my parents still fight a lot, but hey, what else is new?_

 _KS: lol_

 _KS: seriously tho dude_

 _KS: what's wrong? you know you're my soul friend, right? that means you can tell me anything_

 _KS: i ain't gonna judge you man_

Kazuichi's heart sank as he stared at the words on the screen, knowing that he was being a major hypocrite. Despite everything, despite Fuyuhiko being his best friend, he simply couldn't tell Fuyuhiko about his feelings for him. How long could he hold them in before Fuyuhiko found out?

It took awhile for Fuyuhiko to respond, and Kazuichi was about to put his phone back down and resume his attempts to go to sleep when his phone emitted a quiet ding, signifying a new message,

 _FK: Well… okay, shit, you got me. There is something bothering me._

 _FK: But I'll tell you tomorrow. It's too personal to say in a text message._

 _KS: alright man, whatever you're cool with_

 _KS: i'll see you tomorrow, then!_

 _FK: Yeah. G'night, Kazuichi._

 _KS: g'night fuyuhiko_

So Fuyuhiko would be telling him tomorrow. Kazuichi was happy to wait until then. He was relieved to know that Fuyuhiko was going to confide in him at all - and yet, knowing this made him feel even worse about the terrible secret he was hiding.


	31. Chapter 30: The Lovers of Despair Part 2

_This chapter is FINALLY done! Gee whizz, it turned out longer than my longest oneshot..._

 _It actually got so long that I decided to cut out the final scene and devote the next chapter to it, meaning that Chapter 31 will be the final "flashback chapter" of this story. It will also be told from Kazuichi's POV once again. Why? Well, that will be explained in Chapter 32 or 33.  
_

 _Now, this chapter will contain one of the most obvious cases of canon divergence in this entire fanfiction. In Screams and Sighs, the SDR2 kids aren't brainwashed into despair (seriously, does anyone actually like that?), and for that to work I had to establish that Chiaki's real life self doesn't exist. Sorry, Chiaki fans._

 _Finally, this chapter has largely been inspired by an amazing Vocaloid song called Black Board. And, to a lesser extent, the GHOST song TODAY has also inspired me._

 _I hope the wait for this chapter was worth it!_

* * *

 **Chapter 30: The Lovers of Despair, Part 2**

The next day was Saturday, meaning that no classes were on, leaving Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko with plenty of time to meet up. They agreed to meet at Kazuichi's dorm at around midday - neither of them had any plans that day, though Kazuichi preferred to spend much of his weekends tinkering with appliances in the warehouse.

Fuyuhiko was early; he'd knocked on Kazuichi's door five minutes before the arranged time. He'd always been surprisingly punctual, so this didn't faze Kazuichi - after all, he was always among the first to arrive in class.

"So," Kazuichi began as Fuyuhiko sat on the bed beside him, after they'd exchanged greetings. "What's been happenin' with you lately?"

Fuyuhiko didn't reply. He instead stared down at his lap, as though he were ashamed of something.

"C'mon, man," Kazuichi prodded, "I told you, you can tell me anythin'. As your Soul Friend, it's my duty to listen to your problems with an open mind and not judge you for 'em." He paused for a moment. "I mean… you do trust me, right?"

"Of course I do, idiot," Fuyuhiko bristled. "It's just… ugh. Fuck. This is pretty heavy shit." He looked up at Kazuichi, his eyes fixed into a glare. "You'd better not breathe a word 'bout this to anyone, got it? Not even Natsumi. I've already told Peko 'bout this a couple days ago, and it was such a goddamn relief to get it off my chest to her, but… ugh. Guess it didn't make me feel that much better."

"I ain't gonna tell anyone," Kazuichi promised. "Your secret, whatever it is, will be safe in my hands!"

"Good. I'm trustin' you not to blab about it to anyone else." Fuyuhiko took a deep breath, his gaze softening just a little, not looking away from Kazuichi. Then, in a low voice, he whispered, "I think… I think I might be gay. Or at least bi. Fuck, it's hard to tell."

"Y-you're serious?" Kazuichi gasped. Of all the things Fuyuhiko wanted to confess to him, that was one of the last things Kazuichi was expecting.

"Yeah, I know it's a big deal and shit," Fuyuhiko snapped. "The male heir of the Kuzuryuu Clan happens to be into dudes. What a load of horse shit, am I right?"

"Dude!" Kazuichi exclaimed. "It's okay! I don't have anythin' against it, or anythin' like that! I-I'm just surprised, is all!"

"And you have a goddamn right to be," said Fuyuhiko.

Kazuichi's heart was frantically beating at a swift pace. Fuyuhiko was attracted to guys. He had a chance with him. He had a chance. Of course, that chance was still very low due to Fuyuhiko's high social status and the costs that would come with dating someone like him, but the fact that there was a chance at all made Kazuichi feel giddy inside.

"I-I think I like guys, too," he said. "Because… I've been crushin' on a guy for a little while."

Fuyuhiko's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

Kazuichi nodded. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me back, though…" he murmured. "And even if he does… there's no way I can get in a romantic relationship with him."

"I getcha," said Fuyuhiko. "Gotta be honest, I'm… kinda in the same boat. I like someone, but I know I can't pursue him or anythin' 'cuz of my Yakuza status and all that shit." He sighed. "Oh well, at least you're not botherin' Sonia anymore. Who's this guy you're crushin' on now?"

Kazuichi bit his lip. "I'd… rather not say," he replied. "But I might tell you some other time… when I'm ready, that is."

Fuyuhiko nodded. "Alright," he said. "Well… fuck, how the hell should I put this…" He blushed and turned away from Kazuichi, muttering something so quietly that Kazuichi couldn't hear it.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"I said, it's you. As in, I like you. You're the guy I'm crushin' on."

Kazuichi's heart skipped a beat. His cheeks felt warm, and he was sure that they were bright red. Had he heard wrong? Fuyuhiko… liked him?

After a moment of silence, Fuyuhiko let out a dejected sigh. "Great, I made this all awkward and shit," he muttered. "I knew you wouldn't be okay with me crushin' on you or anythin' like that…" He stood up and began to walk towards the door. "Forget I even said anything."

"W-wait!" Kazuichi jumped to his feet just as Fuyuhiko had approached the door. "I'm actually okay with it - hell, more than okay with it! I-I like you too!"

Fuyuhiko paused. He slowly turned back towards Kazuichi, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his trousers. "You ain't screwin' around with me, are you?" he asked.

"Of course not!" Kazuichi replied. "I'm tellin' the truth!"

Another moment of tense silence followed. Neither of the two boys could even look at each other. Kazuichi gulped down the lump in his throat, grateful that his eyes were dry. What was he going to do? Was this it? Was this the end of his friendship with Fuyuhiko? Even if Fuyuhiko did return his feelings, the two of them were walking on shaky ground now.

"I dunno how I'm s'posed to feel," Fuyuhiko confessed, breaking the silence as he and Kazuichi faced each other again. "Am I s'posed to be happy that you like me back? That's how it usually goes in romance manga and shit, ain't it? Once the couple confess their feelings, they start datin' and live happily ever after. But… that ain't gonna happen with us." He rested the palm of his hand against his head. "We're both guys, Kazuichi. I'm the heir of the Kuzuryuu Clan, and you're some lower-class guy. It ain't gonna work. Not like this."

Kazuichi nodded solemnly. "I know," he murmured. "But I'm just… so happy that you return my feelings. I thought for sure that you'd never like me that way."

"Guess you ain't used to your feelings bein' reciprocated, huh?" Fuyuhiko assumed.

"Not really. I've never really had much luck with my love life. But… why d'you like me? I know we're friends and all, but-"

"I dunno," Fuyuhiko interrrupted, his pent-up frustration causing his voice to rise a little. "I dunno how, or why, or whatever, but I just… I just like you." He blushed a little, and Kazuichi became a little sidetracked by thoughts of how cute Fuyuhiko actually looked. "There doesn't hafta be some deep meanin' in my feelings, right? Even though you're fuckin' hopeless and you always smell like shit, I still have a fuckin' crush on you!"

Kazuichi sighed. "I guess feelings really are unpredictable."

Fuyuhiko nodded in agreement. "Understatement of the fuckin' year."

Yet another awkward moment of silence ensued. It was Kazuichi who broke it this time, his voice barely audible. "We could try."

Fuyuhiko stared at him as though he'd just announced that the sky was green. "Are you really that dumb!? This shit could fuckin' cost me my title as the fuckin' heir of the Kuzuryuu Clan, and I'd be fucked a million times over! D'you have any idea what the consequences for this shit might be for both of us!?"

"We won't tell anyone," Kazuichi assured him. "It'll all be our little secret. Peko will be the only one who knows, and she's pretty damn good at keepin' secrets, right? We can at least try and see how long it lasts - maybe, like, only date for a month, or somethin'."

Fuyuhiko paused, seemingly weighing his options. After a short while, he sighed. "Fine," he agreed. "But you're not breathin' a word of any of this to anyone. And we're only gonna do this 'til we graduate, so don't get too attached to me or anythin'."

Kazuichi nodded in agreement as his heart filled with warmth. "Thanks, man," he said. "You're the best."

"Whatever," Fuyuhiko grumbled, though the look in his eyes told Kazuichi that he was happy, too.

* * *

The days following their agreement to get together felt more relaxing now that Kazuichi had the weight of his insecurities lifted off his shoulders. Their new relationship was progressing at a slow, gradual pace, and they both liked it that way, despite Kazuichi's initial protests about not getting to kiss Fuyuhiko yet. It felt… nice to finally be dating someone, even if Kazuichi was unable to make it known.

The weekend flew by like a breeze, and Monday had arrived before Kazuichi knew it. He had just dressed himself and gathered his books, ready to head out to his first class, when a folded slip of paper slid beneath the door. Curious, Kazuichi picked it up and unfolded it. He was met with a short message, written in careful, neat calligraphy.

 _Dear Kazuichi Souda,_

 _If you have the time, please come to my dormitory after today's lessons. There is something very important that I would like to discuss with you._

 _Regards,_

 _Peko Pekoyama_

Kazuichi re-folded the note and placed it in one of his pockets. He'd spent some time with Peko on one or two occasions; however, Fuyuhiko had accompanied them. Though he knew that Peko was good-natured, she always maintained a cold disposition, and she, similar to how Fuyuhiko used to be, never spoke to her classmates much. Granted, she was more open to social interaction, and she was always polite whenever she did speak, but she didn't seem to have any close friends of her own besides Fuyuhiko, instead spending her free time training alone in the school dojo. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He'd once asked Fuyuhiko if they could spend more time with her, but Fuyuhiko insisted that she was content with solitude, and that she'd rather spend as much of her free time as possible training in the dojo. Besides, he wasn't ready to reveal his connections with her to the class yet.

So why did Peko want to see him? Was Fuyuhiko going to be there, too? Did she

want to talk to Kazuichi about their relationship? She knew about it, Fuyuhiko had told him so, but… was she really okay with it? Kazuichi swallowed the lump in his throat, anxiously anticipating the end of that day's classes.

* * *

Peko's dorm was right next door to Fuyuhiko's, and Kazuichi had grown to be very familiar with this fact after his various excursions to Fuyuhiko's dorm. He wondered if this arrangement had been deliberate so that it would be easier for Peko to protect Fuyuhiko somehow.

Taking a deep breath, Kazuichi raised his fist and loudly rapped at the door.

Only a few moments later, the door swung open to reveal Peko, who gazed at him intently. "Hello, Kazuichi," she said, her expression unchanging. "Thank you for coming. Please, come inside." She stepped aside, holding the door open wider.

Kazuichi stepped into the room, and Peko closed the door behind him. Her room was remarkably similar to Fuyuhiko's not only in terms of structure, but also how well-kept it was. Her sword, safely tucked into its sheath, was propped up against her wardrobe, and several posters displaying various kanji characters were hung up on the walls. The room smelled faintly of lavender.

What surprised Kazuichi the most, however, was the presence of a young girl who wore the standard Hope's Peak Academy female uniform, sitting on Peko's bed. In a lot of ways, she resembled Fuyuhiko - she had blonde hair that hung over her shoulders, hazel-coloured eyes and cheeks perpetually tinted a light shade of pink. Unlike Fuyuhiko, however, she was about as tall as most girls her age, and she was rather noticeably endowed (though not quite to the same extent as Akane). Furthermore, she exhibited neither freckles nor a visible mole.

As soon as she saw him, the girl jumped to her feet and narrowed her eyes disapprovingly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "So this is the guy my big brother is datin'?" she sneered. "Sure you got the right guy, Peko? He looks like he just crawled out of a trash can."

"H-hey!" Kazuichi flinched.

"Yes, Young Mistress," Peko replied as she turned towards the blonde. "I am positive that this is the right person." She then faced Kazuichi again. "Please don't mind her. She insisted on coming with me."

Kazuichi gulped. He hadn't expected this at all. He thought he'd only be meeting up with Peko, but at this rate, he probably wasn't even going to make it out of her dorm alive. "Y-you're Fuyuhiko's sister?" he tentatively asked.

"Yup!" the girl smugly replied. "I'm Natsumi Kuzuryuu, the Ultimate Little Sister, and I find it really fuckin' hard to believe that you're not only in the same class as my brother, but you're also datin' him. I didn't know he had such shit taste in romantic partners."

Kazuichi had prepared himself for the day that he would finally meet Natsumi. Fuyuhiko had told him a lot about her, from her place in the Reserve Course (meaning that her talent of "Ultimate Little Sister" was a lie) to her extremely troublesome personality. Kazuichi could already see how she would annoy even someone like Fuyuhiko. And yet… something bothered him. How did Natsumi know about their relationship? Fuyuhiko had told him that Peko was the only other person who was aware of it, and he'd promised to ask Kazuichi first before revealing it to anyone else (namely, Natsumi). Did he tell Natsumi without running it by Kazuichi first?

"Did Fuyuhiko tell you about us…?" he questioned.

"Oh, no," Natsumi responded. "My brother doesn't hafta tell me anythin' - I can read him like an open book! Honestly, I've had my suspicions that he's gay for years, and I can't believe it's taken him this long to finally realise it. And when he starts datin' someone, well, he changes a little. Like, he's a little softer than usual. S'not that difficult to notice, y'know - maybe you'd know that yourself if you bothered to observe him!"

"I apologise for not preserving the secret well enough," Peko interjected. "I did my best to deny everything, but Young Mistress does indeed know a lot about her brother. I will need to inform him of her knowledge of this matter after this meeting has concluded."

"S'fine," Kazuichi told her. He knew that Peko had tried her best, but since Natsumi and Fuyuhiko would occasionally spend some time together and had known each other their entire lives, it made sense that Natsumi would notice something.

"Well, anyway," Natsumi continued, "we wanted to see you just to give you a warnin' about harmin' my brother. I still think you're a stinkin' heap of trash, even for an Ultimate, but if my brother somehow sees somethin' special in you, I have no choice but to roll with it. But that doesn't mean I'll let you get away with screwin' with him!"

Peko nodded in agreement. "You know that I take my duties as Young Master's bodyguard very seriously, Kazuichi. As the heir of the Kuzuryuu Clan, there are rival clans out there who wish to stain their hands with his blood. It is my responsibility to protect him from harm and ensure that no one lays their hands upon him. Similarly, I must ensure that Young Master is as happy and healthy as he can possibly be, in order for him to properly undertake his own duties as the heir of our clan. If you cause him any serious injury or emotional trauma, you will be faced with serious consequences."

"Oh, hell yeah," Natsumi affirmed. "My big brother's gotta work real hard so that he can be the best heir ever! And if you do anythin' to get in the way of that, or he comes cryin' to Peko 'cuz you cheated on him or some shit, I'm gonna fuckin' kill you! Don't say I didn't warn you!"

Kazuichi swallowed. "I-I'll do my best!" he promised. "I don't wanna hurt him at all! I-I just wanna be a boyfriend he can be happy with, y'know?"

"So you should!" said Natsumi. "You'd better not be some kind of gold digger or somethin'!"

"Of course not!" Kazuichi cried, ignoring the sweat dripping down his temple as he remembered that part of his attraction to Sonia pertained to her wealth. "I really do like him!"

Peko nodded approvingly. "Good. That is all we ask of you, and this is the only warning you will receive."

Kazuichi nodded. "I-I understand. I'll be the best boyfriend I can possibly be, I promise!"

"Yeah, you'd better," Natsumi threatened. "I don't go easy on anyone, especially losers like you!"

"Enough, Young Mistress," Peko stated firmly. "Kazuichi, you may leave now."

"Y-you sure?" Kazuichi asked as he nervously shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "That's all you wanted to see me for?"

"Yes," Peko replied.

 _Man, these girls are scary,_ Kazuichi thought to himself. "Well, it was nice to meetcha, Natsumi," he said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Natsumi murmured. "Now hurry up and get the fuck outta here. Your retardedness is startin' to stink up the place."

 _"Young Mistress."_

" _What?_ " Natsumi snapped, rolling her eyes. "S'not my fault he can't handle the truth!"

Kazuichi hastily dove out of Peko's dorm without turning back.

* * *

From that point onwards, Kazuichi began to feel more than a little unsettled whenever Peko was nearby. She always seemed to have her eyes on him, and she never went anywhere without her weapon of choice - her sword. He was often anxious that she would suddenly leap into his line of sight and slice him to pieces.

"Don't worry 'bout her," Fuyuhiko told him, noticing the way he'd nervously dart his eyes towards her. "She's just real overprotective. I've tried tellin' her that I'm fine, that I trust you and I know you won't hurt me, but she's havin' none of it."

Fortunately, as the weeks passed by, Peko had started to ease up on him. She continued to watch Fuyuhiko closely - that was still part of her duty, whether or not Kazuichi was involved - but she'd become much more relaxed around Kazuichi. And, when she and Fuyuhiko finally revealed their close ties to each other to the rest of Class 77, she regularly spent time with the couple. She almost always sat at the same lunch table as them, and they would sometimes go to the dojo and watch her practice. Peko would even occasionally fill in for Fuyuhiko during the study sessions he and Kazuichi regularly had - and that had been the case one Thursday evening, as Fuyuhiko was engaged in a serious video call with his parents.

Peko, as it turned out, was an okay tutor. She explained concepts a little more cryptically than Fuyuhiko did, but she was perfectly willing to clarify when requested. As Kazuichi wrote down the answers, however, she was completely silent. When Fuyuhiko tutored him, this would be the time where he'd look over his shoulder and comment about the way Kazuichi was decoding the answer and writing it down. Peko, on the other hand, simply sat in the chair beside him, staring off into space. Kazuichi wondered if perhaps she was bored. If that was the case, he could try to strike up a conversation with her.

"You care 'bout Fuyuhiko a lot, don't you?" he commented as he continued to write.

"Please be quiet and continue your work, Kazuichi," Peko told him.

"Hey, I can talk and work at the same time!" he exclaimed without looking up. "Hell, I hate workin' in silence!"

Peko sighed. "Very well. To answer your question, yes, I do care very much about Young Master. As his bodyguard, it is my duty to protect him, no matter the cost. Even if I must sacrifice myself… if I must do it for his sake, I will do so without hesitation."

"Whoa…" Kazuichi murmured. "That's how much you care 'bout him?"

"Yes," Peko replied. "Regardless of what the Kuzuryuu Clan may believe, Young Master is a strong, capable man. He is dedicated to efficiently serving his role as heir of the clan, despite the difficulties that he may face along the way."

"Yeah, I believe that," said Kazuichi. He stopped writing and put his pen down, looking up at Peko. She didn't protest, and instead continued her speech.

"As you know, Young Master and I have spent our entire lives together thus far. I have known him for as long as I can remember. I have seen him grow and change into the man he is now, and although I am certain that I am responsible for most of these changes… as of late, you are the one who has been changing him, Kazuichi."

Kazuichi already knew this, but to hear Peko saying so made him blush slightly as warmth and pride bloomed within his chest.

"Young Master never had any close friends in any of the schools he had attended previously," Peko went on. "He didn't know how to make friends at all. All he knew how to do was to push people away. Even with myself and Young Mistress providing him with our company, he still led a lonely life. But you, Kazuichi… you have become his first true male friend, and later his romantic partner. Young Master has been much happier as of late, and I am unsure if I will ever be able to properly express my gratitude to you for allowing it to happen."

While Peko very rarely showed much emotion, Kazuichi couldn't help but notice a slightly wistful look in her eyes. Furthermore, despite her positive words, her perpetual frown was slightly deeper than usual. Something wasn't quite right - and he had a feeling that he knew what was wrong.

"Peko…" he spoke up, hesitant to express his suspicion. "Are you in love with him?"

Peko's eyes widened, and if it weren't for the rather serious situation, this sudden reaction would have been almost comical. Her frown deepened, and she turned away from Kazuichi, staring down at the desk instead. "Yes," she confessed quietly. "My feelings for him have surpassed that of how one would think of a close friend at least a year ago." She looked back up at Kazuichi. "But do not worry. I have no plans to do anything about my feelings. What is more important is his happiness with you."

"No, I… I'm sure you've still got a chance with him," Kazuichi assured her. "We ain't gonna get married or anythin'. Hell, we're prolly gonna break up after we graduate. And y'know he's still interested in girls too, right?"

"I refuse to interfere in his happiness," Peko stated firmly. "I wish for your relationship to last as long as possible. He does talk to me about you a lot, Kazuichi, even if he does not admit it to you."

"But you can't just sit around hurtin' your own feelings!" Kazuichi protested. "You hafta look after yourself, too!"

"No, I must not," Peko disagreed. "Accomodating for myself distracts from my main duty - to ensure Young Master's protection, security and happiness. That is my objective as Young Master's tool. Doing anything to benefit myself is a sign of weakness that I must not partake in."

 _Tool._ Bile rose up in Kazuichi's throat the moment the word was uttered. He knew that Peko meant so much more to Fuyuhiko than just a tool. She was his companion, his primary sister figure aside from Natsumi, his best friend. But Fuyuhiko had never found the courage to say this to her. He never found a good opportunity to explain to Peko exactly how much she meant to him. Kazuichi could tell Peko this himself, but he figured that it would mean more if Fuyuhiko himself said it. He had to try something a little different, something that would help her at least a little.

"You're a human bein', Peko," he said. "You've got all the things a human bein' has-"

"No, I do not," Peko interrupted. "I do not have freedom. From the moment the Kuzuryuu Clan took me in, it was decided that my only purpose would be to serve as Young Master's tool. I cannot live my life as anything more than that - and that is okay. I am perfectly fine with that."

It was hard to tell whether or not she was telling the truth. Her voice remained as level as always, and her expression didn't change a bit. Still, Kazuichi thought, she seemed like such a sad, lonely girl, and he was sure that it was almost entirely the circumstances she'd been through that had shaped her unwavering loyalty towards Fuyuhiko - and little to no regard to her own wellbeing. It would be so difficult to change that, and Kazuichi's heart sank as he realised that he wouldn't be the one to do it.

"We must return to your homework, Kazuichi," Peko informed him. "Young Master will return very soon. It would be optimal to complete it before he does."

And as Kazuichi turned back to his work and picked up his pen, he realised that if there was one person who could help Peko, it would have to be Fuyuhiko himself.

* * *

The more time passed, the more hopeful everything seemed to be. Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi continued to maintain their secret relationship, and Peko and Natsumi were still the only other people who knew about it. Kazuichi continued to spend a substantial amount of time with his boyfriend, including their usual text message conversations after lights-out, and he enjoyed every moment of it all. Even if they were both in the closet, even if they weren't publicly dating, they were both living happy lives with each other, and Kazuichi wished that it would never end.

He knew that all good things had to come to an end, but he hadn't anticipated this to be true so soon.

The news of the murder of Natsumi Kuzuryuu blanketed Class 77 in grief and misery, and Fuyuhiko and Peko had taken the brunt of the emotional impact. Fuyuhiko had returned to his original behaviour, exploding at anyone who spoke to him, including Kazuichi. Peko, meanwhile, was visibly shaken - a rare sight for someone so levelheaded and composed. Kazuichi couldn't blame either of them; they'd both grown up with Natsumi, after all, and although Kazuichi found her incredibly bothersome, he could understand how special she was to Fuyuhiko and Peko.

Despite everything, however, Fuyuhiko had still paid him a visit that night before lights-out. Granted, it was merely to vent, but nonetheless, Kazuichi was glad that he'd decided to turn to him at a time like this.

"It's all my fuckin' fault," said Fuyuhiko, clenching his fists so tightly that light trails of blood trickled from his palms. "I shoulda stepped in and done somethin'. I shoulda been a better brother to her."

"But you were good enough," Kazuichi reassured him. "She seriously adored you. I bet you were already the perfect big brother to her."

"I let her die," Fuyuhiko argued. "She shouldn't have been killed. I should've looked out for her more."

"There really wasn't anythin' you could do. You had no way to know that this was gonna happen to her."

"Whatever. I'm goin' to bed." Fuyuhiko stood up and headed towards the door, departing without another word.

And, just before the door slammed closed behind him, Kazuichi caught a glimpse of a girl with her hair in pigtails, held together by two monochrome bear-shaped hair pins.

* * *

The next day, news broke out that another girl from the Reserve Course had been murdered. The moment her identity was revealed, Mahiru buried her face in her hands as she began to sob, her shoulders shaking. Hiyoko, who sat beside her, stared at her, dumbstruck, as though she didn't know how to comfort her miserable friend. Kazuichi later found out that the girl who had been killed was Mahiru's closest friend, whom she'd known and been friends with since middle school. The girl, Sato, had also been relatively close with Mahiru's other friends - Hiyoko, Ibuki and Mikan. Now that Kazuichi thought about it, he remembered seeing her among the group during lunch sometimes.

In the wake of Sato's death, Class 77's overall atmosphere lowered even further as Mahiru, Hiyoko, Ibuki and Mikan mourned their fallen friend, while Fuyuhiko and Peko continued to mourn Natsumi. Although Ibuki still managed to retain her cheer and use it in an attempt to lighten her classmates' moods, Kazuichi often saw her staring wistfully out the window, her features crumpled into forlorness. Hiyoko, meanwhile, took her anger out on Mikan in a way that was vastly unlike her usual cruel, teasing bullying tactics, and in turn, Mikan had become so insecure and afraid of attending class that Ibuki had to physically drag her out of her dorm every morning. Furthermore, relations between Mahiru and Fuyuhiko had suddenly turned sour, as Fuyuhiko had taken to verbally abusing her in a similar manner to Hiyoko's current treatment of Mikan, and Mahiru responded rather heatedly. It had gotten to the point where Yukizome-sensei had to interfere at least once. Kazuichi suspected that the two of them were equally distraught over the deaths of Natsumi and Sato, but regardless, he hated seeing them fight so much, and he felt as though he had no way to stop it - Fuyuhiko would often turn his anger towards him whenever he interfered, and that was enough to impede him from even trying.

Things were just beginning to look up, and the students had just began to recover, when Yukizome-sensei took role call one morning and found that neither Fuyuhiko nor Peko had appeared in class. To Kazuichi's dismay, she was right - the desks they sat at were not occupied.

"That"s unusual," she commented, concerned. "Fuyuhiko's the only student who's maintained a perfect attendance record until now..."

That was true, Kazuichi thought, as he recalled the day Fuyuhiko attended all of his classes despite having come down with a cold. He was bedridden the following weekend as the cold grew worse; fortunately, he'd fully recovered by Monday.

"Do you know what is wrong?" Sonia inquired.

Yukizome-sensei shook her head. "I'll have to ask the school nurse after homeroom," she said. "If that fails, I'll be going straight over to their dorms and finding out why they're skipping classes today! They'd better have a good excuse!"

"Maybe they slept in," Nagito theorised. "Just because they aren't here now doesn't mean they won't be here for the rest of the day."

"I-I don't think so," Mikan piped up. "Th-there's no way they'd b-both sleep in at the s-same time. B-but they c-could both be sick, a-and it might be contagious. Maybe o-one caught a contagious i-illness, and the other c-caught it as well while th-they were together!"

"That's a very good point, Mikan," said Yukizome-sensei. "I wonder if that's what the school nurse will say, too."

* * *

As it turned out, Fuyuhiko and Peko hadn't attended the rest of that day's classes, either. Kazuichi hadn't seen either of the two all day. He'd even sent them each a text message, but neither of them responded. He found this deeply concerning, and he hoped against hope that they were both okay.

During the lunch break, he'd managed to find Yukizome-sensei and ask her why they weren't attending classes. "Family matters," she explained. "It seems really personal, so I didn't want to pry or anything - not like either of them would open up, anyway - but whatever it is, it seems pretty bad."

"Ah, thanks, Yukizome-sensei!" Kazuichi replied, and he hurried off to Fuyuhiko's dorm without a second thought. His heart raced as he ran, adrenaline streaming through his body - and he was sure it wasn't just because of the exercise he was getting. The last "family matter" Fuyuhiko had gone through was the death of Natsumi, and he hadn't fully gotten over it yet. Whatever this was, it was enough to make him and Peko skip classes - and whatever it was, it had to be really bad.

Kazuichi stopped in front of Fuyuhiko's door, catching his breath. After a moment, he reached out and tapped his fist against the door.

"For fuck's sake, what now!?" he heard Fuyuhiko shout from inside.

"I-it's me, dude!" Kazuichi called. For some reason, his voice wavered slightly. "You okay in there?"

There was a brief pause.

"Piss off!" Fuyuhiko bellowed. "Everything's gone to hell, and it's all your fault!"

 _My fault…?_ Kazuichi thought as he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He gingerly seized the door handle and turned it, pushing the door open. "Have I done somethin' wrong?"

When he'd opened the door, Fuyuhiko was sitting in the fetal position at one end of his bed. As soon as he spoke, however, Fuyuhiko swiftly reached out towards his pillow, pulled something out from beneath it, and pointed it towards Kazuichi with a loud click. Kazuichi immediately recognised it as a gun, and he instinctively took a step backwards, his eyes widened in horror, locked onto Fuyuhiko's ferocious glare.

"I said, piss off," Fuyuhiko stated icily.

"F-Fuyuhiko…" Kazuichi took a shaky breath, trying to regain his composure, but the more time passed, the more shaky he felt. "P-put the gun down and tell me what's goin' on!"

"You and this fuckin' gay shit we got into ruined my life, that's what's goin' on!" Fuyuhiko snapped, without lowering his gun.

It was at that moment that the realisation of what happened hit Kazuichi like a ton of bricks. "No… no way!" he gasped as tears poured down his cheeks. "How did they…?"

Fuyuhiko slowly lowered his gun. "No idea," he said. "The important thing is, I'm not heir anymore. They said I ain't welcome back home, that if I went anywhere near the manor they'd shoot my brains out. Pretty sure they disowned me, too." He turned away from Kazuichi. "Now get the fuck outta here before I personally murder you."

Kazuichi trudged out of the room and closed the door behind him without another word. He powerwalked the way to his own dorm, and once he was there, he slumped down onto his bed and sobbed.

* * *

The relationship was over. Fuyuhiko never said so himself, but Kazuichi knew it was true. There was no way they could still be dating if Fuyuhiko insisted on acting as though Kazuichi never existed. Hell, Kazuichi doubted they were even friends anymore. Gone were the lunchtime antics, gone were the study sessions, gone were the late-night text message conversations. Peko, too, had stopped spending time with him entirely; in fact, she'd began spending less time at the dojo, and more time with Fuyuhiko. Both of them had landed back at square one - or perhaps they'd even been kicked off the board entirely, as their social behaviours had become worse than they'd been when they first transferred to Hope's Peak Academy. Fuyuhiko was even issued a suspension for attempting to attack Mahiru. If Nekomaru hadn't interfered, Mahiru likely would've been hospitalised, or worse…

From there, their stability only decayed further and further, and the rest of the students in Class 77 had began avoiding them long ago; now, almost everyone looked petrified to even be in the same room as them. There was a rumour that Yukizome-sensei had tried to talk to the headmaster about expelling them, or at least placing them in different classes, but the headmaster had declined, believing that their talents' potential deserved to be explored as long as they completed their schooling at Hope's Peak - disregarding the fact that Fuyuhiko was stripped of his title of heir. Upon hearing of that rumour, Mikan stopped attending classes altogether, and Teruteru followed suit shortly afterwards.

Then, gradually, the rest of Kazuichi's classmates started to fall apart as well. Some simply broke, whereas others had outright snapped, and Kazuichi couldn't help but feel sorry for Yukizome-sensei, who probably felt hopeless as she watched her beloved class rot into a state of dysfunctionality that was a far cry from its previously chaotic, yet welcoming atmosphere. Even Sonia, who'd always been a resilient, friendly girl, had cracked from the pressures of life, and she spent most of her class time staring pensively down at her desk.

What had happened to them all? There was no way that the murders of the two Reserve Course girls plus Fuyuhiko and Peko's feelings of despair had entirely to do with it. Final exams and graduation were just around the corner - were they stressed out, on top of all of that? Even Yukizome-sensei had began to act drastically different from her normal self, as though she'd given up on trying to cheer up her class.

Everything was falling apart. Kazuichi had lost his boyfriend, as well as his friends. Everyone was so wrapped up in their own brokenness that they never even acknowledged him anymore. He was painfully lonely - and this loneliness was much, much worse than the kind he'd experienced in middle school, because alongside it, he felt powerless. He couldn't help Fuyuhiko, or Peko, or any of his classmates, no matter how hard he tried. They were all too far gone. He couldn't trust any of the other teachers or staff; he just knew that they would carelessly dismiss it as school-related stress and nothing more. The main thing was that they still completed their required schoolwork - and that was all that mattered.

There was still one person Kazuichi could potentially turn to, though. He occasionally spent some time with Leon Kuwata, a boy from another class, and although he never got to see Leon very often due to their conflicting schedules, he considered him a good friend. But Leon wasn't the kind of friend he'd spill his feelings to; all the two ever did was joke around, and while they texted each other quite often, it was almost entirely memes and inside jokes. Leon was much closer with his classmates Mondo and Chihiro; likewise, Kazuichi had once been a lot closer with Fuyuhiko and Peko. Besides, Leon was so busy with baseball and his own studies that he probably didn't even have the time to listen to Kazuichi vent about his problems.

Kazuichi was alone in his dorm one afternoon, listlessly fiddling with his wrench as he thought about all the projects he'd abandoned, when his phone vibrated in one of his pockets. With a sigh, he pulled it out and stared down at the screen, which proudly displayed a text message from a mysterious number he'd never seen before.

 _?: Hey. I know who killed Sato._

With trembling fingers and shallow breathing, Kazuichi hastily typed out a response. Who was this person? Why did they want to talk to him about Sato's murder? It was incredibly suspicious, yet Kazuichi sent his reply before he could think his actions through.

 _KS: hey hey hey, is this some sick joke!? it's gotta be that serial pervert or whatever that killed natsumi, right?_

 _KS: who the hell are you, some creepy person who sends chain letters to people?_

 _?: My identity is not important right now. I'm here to tell you who killed Sato. I haven't seen him kill her personally, but just by observing him, it's so obvious that he's the one who did it._

 _The hell is their deal?_ Kazuichi thought.

 _KS: you can't just make assumptions based on people's behaviour!_

 _?: Yes, I can. You can learn so much about a person just by looking at him._

 _?: Anyway, Sato's killer happens to be someone you care very much about._

Someone he cared very much about… did that mean it was one of his classmates? Had they been so depressed that they decided to murder an innocent Reserve Course student?

 _KS: no… there's no way any of my classmates would stoop that low!_

 _?: Oh, really? They all have their uglier sides - every single one of them._

 _KS: then who the hell was it?_

 _KS: i ain't gonna sit around and play your stupid games!_

 _?: It was Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu._

Kazuichi's phone slipped out of his hands like a wet bar of soap, landing on the bed with a soft thump. Shock and betrayal gripped him like a vice as the words on the screen sank in. After a moment, he seized his phone again and typed out another message as warm tears slid down his cheeks.

 _KS: stop it! this isn't funny!_

 _KS: fuyuhiko might be a real tough guy, but he'd never actually kill an innocent girl!_

Though the denial was clear as day in his frantic messages, a small part of Kazuichi thought that maybe this mysterious person was telling the truth somehow. Maybe he'd been mistaken about Fuyuhiko. Maybe Fuyuhiko had intended to throw him away after he'd outlived his usefulness, just as Kazuki had done. Maybe…

 _?: Sato was not an innocent girl._

 _?: She killed Fuyuhiko's sister, Natsumi._

Yes… it was all starting to make sense now. Fuyuhiko was mad at Mahiru, to the point of being a hair's breadth away from viciously attacking her, because her closest friend had killed Natsumi. It was an explanation that Kazuichi didn't want to believe, and yet… he couldn't deny that it might be true.

 _KS: you're… you're telling the truth, right? how do you know all this?_

 _?: As I said, I know all of this because I've been carefully observing your classmates. I even know about the relationship you and Fuyuhiko once had._

Kazuichi's hands began to tremble as more tears cascaded down his face and dripped off his chin.

 _KS: WHO ARE YOU!?_

 _KS: you'd better not tell anyone that fuyuhiko and i were a thing!_

 _?: Too late! I already did._

 _?: See, I asked a very good friend of mine to take a photo of you two being affectionate with each other, because I already suspected that there was something between the both of you._

 _?: She met my demands, and scored a pretty decent photo of you guys holding hands. So I decided to share it with the Kuzuryuu Clan!_

Now Kazuichi's entire body was shaking. Rage bubbled up within his chest, and he gripped his phone so tightly that he almost bent it. The messages he typed started to become almost illegible as a result of both his trembling fingers and his blurred vision.

 _KS: wjy wold you do ghis? whst dd we ecer do to you?_

 _?: It's not my fault the pair of you are so shortsighted, so HOPEFUL that your relationship would work._

 _?: In this society, there is no hope for same-sex romance. Hell, just look at Sato._

 _?: She was so in love with her best friend, so dedicated to protecting her that she killed the girl whom she believed was the relationship's primary interference. Look where that got her!_

 _?: You never should have dated him, Kazuichi. You've done nothing for him. He's abandoned hope altogether and indulged in despair, his future has been jeopardised, and it's all your fault._

 _"Everything's gone to hell, and it's all your fault!"_

Fuyuhiko was right. His problems were insurmountable. Kazuichi was the one who had ruined his life, and he had no way to make anything better for him. Guilt and regret came down upon him like a hurricane. He didn't want this. He would've been perfectly happy to just remain friends with Fuyuhiko, for the two of them to forget about their romantic feelings for each other. He shouldn't have been so confident, confident enough to suggest that they get involved in a secret relationship.

 _KS: youtre ruhjt_

 _KS: im soert_

 _?: I'm not the one you should be apologising to… then again, Fuyuhiko will never accept your apology, so don't even bother._

Kazuichi couldn't take it anymore. Placing his phone on the bedside table, he drew his knees close to his chest and bowed his head, his shoulders shaking in response to his heaving sobs. The mysterious person sent him a few more messages, but they were ignored as Kazuichi simply cried and cried.

He lost track of time, so he didn't know how long he cried for, but as his tears finally dried, only a feeling of hopelessness remained. His misery was beginning to tear him apart, his depression slowly giving out and forming into mere apathy. He couldn't resist the small giggle that fell from his lips as he reached for his phone again and reread the text messages he had recently sent and received.

He was finally beginning to understand exactly how his classmates were feeling, exactly what was happening to them. It was a poisonous feeling of despair that ate away at their moral codes, empathy and personalities until only a hollow shell remained. This was the path Kazuichi was headed towards - and knowing that he couldn't do anything about it only intensified his mind-numbing feeling of undeniable despair.


	32. Chapter 31: The End of Normalcy

_So this chapter took quite a bit longer to write than it needed to, and, well, yeah, SAS is being updated a little less regularly than usual, and I apologise for that. Let's just say that real life gets in the way a lot._

 _I hope you guys enjoy the final flashback chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 31: The End of Normalcy**

 _—Two Months Before—_

The abandoned shed that Kazuichi lived in had living conditions that were far from ideal. The only items within it were a large collection of tools left behind by the shed's owner, whom Kazuichi murdered without remorse before taking the shed's key from his pocket. The metal walls were hopelessly thin, and most nights were unbearably frigid as a result. Kazuichi slept on the cold, hard floor without a blanket or even a pillow. The thin walls also meant that outside noise was easily audible, and there'd been more than a few occasions where the anguished screams of dying civilians interrupted Kazuichi's slumber. It did have one benefit, though - that Kazuichi could listen to outside noises, and relocate himself if need be. He also had to admit that the shed was an okay size; there was plenty of room to move about, plenty of space to store what little he had on him, including some of his deadliest machines - save for one, which he'd placed under Junko's care.

Living life on the run as one of the leading causes of The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History was tough, moreso after Sonia, who'd been his partner in crime up until now, had abandoned him. Once the Ultimate Imposter assisted her in choosing an effective disguise that would conceal her identity, including giving her some of his many fake identification documents, she'd boarded a plane back to Novoselic, where her "big plan" was to be undertaken. Sonia had never disclosed what, exactly, this plan would entail, but Kazuichi was sure that it had to be something so despair-inducing that Junko would be proud. Nonetheless, he missed her, and he couldn't deny that the past few days had been dreadfully lonely.

On the other hand, that loneliness intensified his despair - a drug he vowed to never let go of.

The greatest thing to influence his despair was thinking about Fuyuhiko. He hadn't seen him since that final day in the classroom, when he and his classmates initiated an explosion that destroyed it, and Yukizome-sensei told everyone that they were dead. They all had to lay low so that no one would recognise them, and since Kazuichi hadn't showered, brushed his hair or even maintained his personal hygiene at all since the day he was pronounced dead, he looked almost nothing like the Ultimate Mechanic he was known as during his years at Hope's Peak Academy.

He constantly wondered where Fuyuhiko was, what he was doing. Sometimes, he even went out of his way to search for him. It was difficult to know whether or not he had seen him, knowing that Fuyuhiko, too, likely looked almost unrecognisable. But Kazuichi kept his eyes peeled for the physical features he knew best - short height, freckles, the mole beneath his lip - and he hadn't seen Fuyuhiko among any of the crowds he'd observed. Sometimes, he found large trucks with the symbol of the Kuzuryuu Clan on either side, loaded up with food, water and first-aid kits, and the drivers offered relief to every living citizen they came across. It was… a peculiar sight, and one that angered Kazuichi. Those men had the decency to look out for ordinary civilians who'd been affected by the Tragedy, yet they never hesitated to commit violent crimes, or disown the boy who would've grown up to become a successful heir simply because of his sexual orientation. Their skewed intentions disgusted Kazuichi.

Something, deep within his heart, told him that he would never see Fuyuhiko again, and he only laughed at that feeling - because seeing Fuyuhiko again, even just for a moment, was one of his greatest desires, and the thought that it would never be achieved left him in a cackling, sobbing heap of despair.

* * *

One night, Kazuichi awoke to the faint sound of faraway gunshots.

With a groan, he raised his wrist at level with his eyes and tapped on the screen of the watch he always wore. The time momentarily flashed before him in a bright, glaring shade of red: 01:14.

He immediately jumped to his feet, ignoring the way his head pounded from lying on the floor for so long, and gathered his meagre collection of belongings. This was bad. Something was going on nearby, and whatever was happening, the people involved would find him, identify him, most likely kill him…

He pushed all of his tools and creations, as well as his small collection of potato chips and confectionary, into the trunk of the SUV he'd repaired and claimed as his own after finding it on the side of the road with its engine toasted. After slamming the trunk door shut, he scrambled into the driver's seat, fastened his seatbelt, turned the ignition and took off into the direction of the chaos.

The sky, once blue and expected to be a soothing indigo at this time of night, was now an ominous blood-red thanks to all of the pollution Kazuichi and the rest of Ultimate Despair had caused. Somehow, breathing in the air outside was still tolerable - or maybe Kazuichi simply didn't care about his health - but he could live. Barely anyone wore a gas mask anyway, and he wasn't sure when it would get to the point where they would. Thick smoke billowed out from somewhere on the east, the direction Kazuichi was driving. As he drove closer towards the source of the chaos, the density of the smoke intensified, and soon he could make out the sounds of men cussing and crying out. People frantically scrambled away from the disaster zone, dressed in only their nightgowns, and Kazuichi resisted the urge to kill them just for the hell of it. He couldn't be distracted, he needed to find out what was going on…

By the time he reached his destination at last and parked in front of the scene, a sea of nausea overwhelmed him, and he wound down his window, emptying the few contents of his stomach onto the dead grass. Once he was done, he leaned back against the driver's seat and observed the scene as he waited for his motion sickness to pass. The destination of the chaos turned out to be a large, lavish mansion - or what may have once been one, anyway - that was engulfed in flames. In front of it, a swarm of men, dressed in sleek, expensive-looking suits and armed with guns, were scurrying around the scene, yelling and cursing at the top of their lungs, One by one, they fell to the ground as a barrage of bullets pierced their skin and lodged themselves into their chest. A few of them met a different fate, being stabbed or decapitated by a young silver-haired girl who wielded a long, shining blade.

Kazuichi's breath hitched, and he almost vomited again. He recognised that sword. He could've sworn that he knew the girl who was now using it for the purpose of spreading despair.

 _If that's really her… then the one gunnin' them down is…_

It was difficult to see the short boy who stood in the far back, firing an endless barrage of bullets as though his life depended on it, as Kazuichi was parked in a secluded area and the raging men continuously blocked him from his line of vision, but Kazuichi knew. There was no denying it. That boy, whose face was obscured by the fedora atop his head, who wore a monochrome suit that looked disturbingly similar to that worn by the men he was killing without remorse… that boy was none other than Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu.

It all made sense. The mansion burning down - that was Kuzuryuu Manor. The men whom the despair-filled duo were fighting - they were all Kuzuryuus. The silver-haired girl whose sword was now coated in fresh blood - that was Peko Pekoyama. And Fuyuhiko was right there, slaughtering his very own family, destroying the clan he'd spent his entire life working so hard to lead.

The clan who'd denied him that satisfaction, all because of Fuyuhiko's sexuality.

Kazuichi moved as though he were on autopilot. He unfastened his seatbelt, reached over to the neighbouring seat and extracted a walkie-talkie from the glove box. The walkie-talkie, as well as its twin that he'd given to Junko, was modified so that it would catch signal from a much greater distance - almost as though you were calling someone with a cell phone.

"Junko!" he shouted desperately as he held down the button of his walkie-talkie. "Junko, come in!"

For a couple of harrowing moments, there was no response. The commotion from outside continued, and it was all Kazuichi could hear. But then, just as Kazuichi was about to try again, Junko's frustrated, fatigued voice crackled to life. "What is it? It's really late."

"I need the giant Monokuma!" Kazuichi told her without delay or hesitation. "Get it over here right now! I wanna kill some people who deserve it!"

"Alright, alright, geez," Junko grumbled. "Where are ya?"

"Tsuyoi Street," he replied.

"Huh, you're at Kuzuryuu Manor? Didn't know you wanted to see the weak yakuza kid that badly…"

"Shuddap! Just gimme the giant Monokuma!"

"Okay, fine, I'll send it over for you. Just wait a few minutes."

"Thanks."

Kazuichi sighed in relief as he tossed the walkie-talkie onto the seat beside him. He peered out of the window once again, at the ravaging discord tearing Tsuyoi Street apart. Now that he was paying more attention, he noticed that many of the men who stood in the far back of the pack were much larger than the rest, their muscles more toned. Their body shapes resembled Nekomaru's, but they were more refined, and those men probably had much more fighting experience than Nekomaru ever did. Furthermore, they were all donned in bulletproof vests, so simply shooting them was out of the question. Peko and Fuyuhiko were going to seriously struggle with those guys… but if the giant Monokuma arrived on time… Kazuichi would be able to help them. He'd be able to finish what they'd started. He'd be able to tell the Kuzuryuu Clan, loud and clear, that they were the assholes who stole Fuyuhiko away from him, knowing all the while that it wasn't their fault at all - it was all Kazuichi's. The only reason he hadn't killed himself by then was because death was nothing more than a meagre escape from reality, and reality was more despair-inducing than anything.

He remembered the time he'd killed his own parents. It hadn't been long ago, and the process was slow and thrillingly painful. His parents had never even done anything wrong by him, and that was why killing them was all the more despairing. He genuinely loved his parents - and that was exactly why they had to die. He couldn't help but wonder - did Fuyuhiko love his own parents to the same extent? He never talked about them often, and from what little Kazuichi knew of them, they argued with each other a lot, and Fuyuhiko was often caught in the crossfire… but surely they genuinely cared about their son, right?

 _"They said I ain't welcome back home, that if I went anywhere near the manor they'd shoot my brains out. Pretty sure they disowned me, too."_

No. They didn't care about Fuyuhiko at all. They only cared about his potential, his strength, his ability to lead the Kuzuryuu Clan without an ounce of vulnerability in his heart. Fuyuhiko wasn't even a son to them - he was just a trophy. A trophy they wanted to show off so badly, but threw away once they noticed a single speck of dust upon its glossy surface.

Fuyuhiko wanted to kill his parents. He wanted to show them how far he'd fallen into despair as a consequence of their actions. But Kazuichi wasn't going to allow him that satisfaction. He was going to do the job for him, no matter what he said or thought.

Shortly after his decision was made, a series of loud thumps was heard, and for a moment, the Kuzuryuus still standing paused, staring up at something that was approaching them, dazed. Kazuichi dove out of his SUV and watched as his own creation - a 30-foot tall Monokuma, with Junko in its mouth, visibly handling the controls - stomped towards the burning Kuzuryuu Manor. Kazuichi beamed as the Kuzuryuus stepped back, a few of the men muttering a "shit" or an "oh, crap", and Peko whispered something in Fuyuhiko's ear.

As Kazuichi looked up at the giant Monokuma's imposing head, Junko was gone. After a moment, however, she reappeared beside one of its gigantic legs, waving at Kazuichi with a pleased smile, as though she was just a normal high school girl and the world was in its normal, calm state. That was Kazuichi's cue to run towards the humongous robot as fast as his legs could carry him, open the door on its right leg, close it again and ascend the steps that led to the controls area. His hand confidently gripped the joystick as he looked down at all of the people below him, a despairing warmth filling his heart. They were scared of him. This was the reaction he'd wanted to induce from his middle school bullies - and now, thanks to him, a bunch of men affiliated with the yakuza were close to soiling their pants. If only the boys who tormented him during his middle school years would see him now - maybe he'd find them, one day, and give them a taste of their own medicine…

The giant Monokuma took a few steps forward. Its head angled down towards the Kuzuryuus, allowing Kazuichi to get a closer look at them all. After a moment, it bent down, seized a thin, yet tough-looking man, and squeezed him as hard as it could until his ribs shattered beneath the weight of its metal fingers. The man was then thrown into the fire, discarded like a piece of rubbish - and that was when his relatives began to fire at the giant Monokuma. Kazuichi smirked as they continued to fruitlessly fire their guns, the Monokuma barely taking any damage. Barely any of them had been prepared to deal with a robot. Kazuichi had the upper hand, and he was not going to let his chance go to waste.

The next five minutes were deadly. The Kuzuryuu Clan's numbers rapidly diminished as, one by one, each member was either crushed, fatally impaled by the Monokuma's claws or thrown into the open fire. More and more blood decorated the landscape, and Kazuichi was grateful that he wasn't able to smell it, though he clearly heard his victims' pained screams thanks to an in-built sound system within the robot. It all felt so refreshing, so satisfying, to finally be able to single-handedly eliminate the Kuzuryuu Clan entirely. The best thing about it was that this was Fuyuhiko's job - and Kazuichi knew that Fuyuhiko would be furious with him once he was done. Not because he didn't want his family to die, but because he wanted to be the one to kill them.

Soon enough, the rookies were all gone, and the stronger guys were the last ones standing. They were armed with larger guns that were actually able to make a dent in the giant Monokuma, and indeed, their bullets inflicted a fair bit of damage to the robot. Furthermore, they were a little more difficult to take down. But Kazuichi was unfettered - all he had to do was clench the Monokuma's fists a little tighter and dig its claws into them a little deeper in order to kill them. Each and every one of them then joined their brothers in the rising flames, tossed aside like chunks of scrap metal.

Yet, as Kazuichi went about his routine, a more vulnerable feeling briefly overwhelmed him. A feeling that this wasn't right, a feeling that he shouldn't be doing this, a feeling that he should stop, drop everything and flee from the crime scene. He was second-guessing his own actions and how far he'd fallen, just as he often did whenever he took part in such deadly activities. But despite the desperate pleas of the voice in his head, he didn't stop. If he stopped now, he'd lose everything, including his purpose in life. He only existed to consume the world in despair, and he was too far gone to make any attempt to change that.

Eventually, Kazuichi heaved a sigh of relief and leaned back into his seat as he threw the body of the last Kuzuryuu into the burning manor. His hands were sweating from the way they rigorously manipulated the controls, and his heart was racing. He did it. It was all over now.

Well, almost, he realised, as a car pulled up in the driveway, and a tall, muscular man stepped out. He had to be about 6'7, for Kazuichi could tell, even from a bird's eye view, that he was far taller than the Kuzuryuus he'd maimed prior. His muscles were clearly pronounced even through the suit he wore, and his blond hair was styled in a crew cut. His eyes were narrowed in a display of fury, and he stormed over towards Fuyuhiko and Peko, who spoke to one another in panicked whispers. Even through the giant Monokuma's sound system, Kazuichi could barely make out what they were saying,

" _You!_ " the man roared, pointing an accusing finger at Fuyuhiko. "You're a disgrace to the Kuzuryuu Clan! I disowned you for gettin' caught up in that whole faggotry business, and you respond by destroyin' everything we stand for! You're a sick fuck, and there's no way in hell I'm lettin' you get away with this!"

"I wasn't the one who fuckin' killed 'em," Fuyuhiko refuted. The seriousness of his voice made the hairs at the back of Kazuichi's neck stand up on end. He pointed up at the giant Monokuma. "This fucker did it. But I ain't gonna let him kill you, too."

The man - whom Kazuichi assumed was the head of the clan - raised the rifle he carried in his hands, pointing it directly at Fuyuhiko. "I don't have time for your bullshit," he said. "I'm not going to let you bask in your victory. No matter how impossible it may seem, I will restore the Kuzuryuu Clan. And neither you nor the tool we raised to accompany you will be part of it."

Something within Kazuichi snapped like a rubber band. His hands moved at their own accord, controlling the giant Monokuma like a marionette, and its razor-sharp claws reappeared as its right hand swiftly descended upon the man, its claws embedding themselves deep into his shoulders. The man spun around to face his attacker, his rifle still at the ready, as his legs wobbled slightly from the blood loss, and a small stream of blood trailed from his mouth. He was face-to-face with the Monokuma's mouth, and Kazuichi got a much closer look at his face, and the fury in his eyes. The barrel of the rifle faced him imposingly, and the sight of it told Kazuichi that he was backed into a corner. If this man shot him right then and there, it was all over - and no matter how quickly and efficiently he handled the controls, no move would he fast enough to land another attack or even defend him from the bullet that would travel at the speed of light.

So all Kazuichi could do was grin, and close his eyes, waiting for the final blow.

But the next sound that was processed by the sound system wasn't a gunshot. It was Fuyuhiko's voice, in an urgent whisper, and although he couldn't make out what he was saying, it sounded a lot like, "Now, Peko!"

As Kazuichi opened his eyes, Peko unsheathed her sword and thrust it straight through the man's back, the tip piercing his stomach. He gasped in shock as he dropped his rifle, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as crimson blood rapidly stained the front of his suit. Then Peko withdrew her sword, and he collapsed to the ground like a rag doll.

An uncomfortable pause followed. Kazuichi couldn't take his eyes off of Fuyuhiko, who glared at him with the very same fury he showed on the day the Kuzuryuus disowned him. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and the reality of what had just happened dawned on him.

 _He saved my life._


	33. Chapter 32: The Resistance

**Chapter 32: The Resistance**

Fuyuhiko felt as though he'd been run over by a truck. His entire body was almost paralysed, and even opening his eyes - he did have two eyes again, right? - felt like a chore. When he slowly opened them at last, teal was the only colour he saw, and although the bright dome overhead was semi-transparent, it was nigh-impossible to see anything beyond it.

 _I did it,_ he thought to himself proudly. _I'm back in the real world… I think._

But the first thing he heard upon waking up was a blood-curdling scream.

He tried to raise his fist and push it against the dome as fast and hard as he could, but his movements were sluggish and weak, as though all of his physical strength had been drained out of him. His hand was as pale as a sheet, and he could easily make out the structure of his bones and the faint outlines of veins beneath his skin.

The screaming continued, and Fuyuhiko grew increasingly worried. Had something happened to Kazuichi? The screams did sound suspiciously like his. He was relieved when he heard the sounds of other voices - those belonging to Makoto Naegi, Kyoko Kirigiri and the real Byakuya Togami, the three Future Foundation members who'd rescued them - accompanying the harsh cries, but he wished that someone would help him get out of the pod he was encased in. It was up to him to get out of there, despite the lack of strength in his joints.

It felt like hours had passed before Fuyuhiko finally forced the pod open, and he pushed himself to sit upright. He turned his head to quickly examine the room he was in. The 15 pods that he and his classmates were contained in were arranged in a circle. Makoto, Kyoko and Byakuya surrounded one of the pods, specifically, one that was about three pods away from Fuyuhiko. It was difficult to see who occupied that pod, as the three Future Foundation members were obscuring his view, so Fuyuhiko gingerly stepped out of his pod and forced himself into a standing position, clutching the side of the pod to support his balance. Pins and needles danced across his feet, covered by a pair of old, beat-up dress shoes.

After taking a moment to regain his balance, he stumbled across the room to the pod surrounded by the three Future Foundation members. He avoided taking a closer look at the pods he passed - he didn't have time to be sentimental about the comatose students. Something was wrong with one of his fellow survivors, and he needed to help them however he could.

As he brushed past the taller figures surrounding the pod, his breath hitched when he caught sight of its wailing occupant.

The yellow jumpsuit that Kazuichi was wearing - the exact same one he wore in the simulation - had dimmed in colour, and it looked as though it hadn't been washed or ironed in years. The beanie he always wore in the simulation was completely absent, revealing his mane of ruffled hair, whose roots were visibly an inky black. But although these physical changes were strange to see, what was distressing was the way he frantically flailed his arms and legs like a madman, a fresh wave of tears rolling down his cheeks and dripping down his chin, his mouth wide open in a hoarse scream and his eyes clenched shut.

Fuyuhiko acted upon instinct, more than anything else. He reached out and gripped Kazuichi's wrist as tightly as he could and cleared his throat. His voice came out sounding rough and scratchy, but nonetheless, he tried his best to make it sound as stern and intimidating as possible. "You're gonna get a hold of yourself right fuckin' now, or I'll fuckin' slap some sense into you. You hear me, Kazu?"

Fuyuhiko wasn't sure exactly what it was - the tone of his voice, the words he'd spoken, the accidental usage of the nickname he'd used back when he'd dated Kazuichi, or perhaps it was all three - but, whatever it was, Kazuichi paused. He slowly, hesitantly, lowered his limbs and opened his eyes, looking straight at Fuyuhiko. He was silent for a moment, and didn't do anything more - but, to Fuyuhiko's surprise, his wrist fell away from his loose grip, his hand moving to hold Fuyuhiko's. He drew in a sniffle as tears continued to trickle down his face.

"I'm sorry," he murmured as he gripped Fuyuhiko's hand tighter, as though his life depended on it. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

Fuyuhiko turned toward the younger adults surveying the scene in front of them. Makoto's eyes were wide in shock, while both Kyoko and Byakuya stood with lips pursed and eyes narrowed. "The hell happened to him?" he asked.

"I have no idea," Makoto replied as he lowered his gaze towards the ground. "This wasn't supposed to happen…"

"Isn't it obvious?" Byakuya sighed, exasperated. "He's reverted back to despair."

Fuyuhiko swallowed the lump in his throat. "Stop jokin' around!" he cried. "I remember everythin' that went down in that fuckin' simulation! I still can't remember a single fuckin' thing between enterin' Hope's Peak for the first time and wakin' up in the simulation! And I still have my sanity, thank you very much! How the fuck could Kazuichi have possibly gone back to despair!?"

"I have my doubts about Byakuya's claim," Kyoko interjected. "While it does seem that Kazuichi has regained the memories we wiped from him, he is not behaving in the way a member of Ultimate Despair would be expected to. After all, he calmed down as soon as you intervened."

"So he lost his memories of the killin' school trip, is that right...?" Fuyuhiko asked.

"N-no," Kazuichi replied quietly, his voice wavering. "I… still remember it all…"

"Let's just take him down to the hospital already," Byakuya suggested. "He needs to be under strict supervision and given the appropriate treatment until we can be sure that he hasn't fully reverted back to his old ways. As of now, he's a danger to anyone he comes into contact with."

Kyoko nodded in agreement. "We need to determine exactly what has happened," she added. "It would seem that an error has occurred at some point during the forced shutdown. While no unintended effects have been inflicted upon you, Fuyuhiko, there is a chance that your other classmates may have regained their memories of their lives as members of Ultimate Despair as well." She turned towards Makoto. "Go check the other survivors' pods, and assist them where necessary."

"Right!" Makoto nodded dutifully and hurried away.

"Fuyuhiko, please sit down," Kyoko instructed him as she gestured towards a chair beside the door in the room. "We will handle this."

Fuyuhiko nodded weakly. He slowly let go of Kazuichi's hand and took one last lingering look at him. Kazuichi was still crying, but the only sounds he made now were soft whimpers and sniffles. Then, Fuyuhiko sat on the chair and watched as Kyoko and Byakuya began the process of transferring Kazuichi to the hospital, while Makoto helped Hajime, Akane and Sonia - who all seemed to be mentally sound - out of their pods.

* * *

Fuyuhiko had a lot to think about over the course of the next few days.

He was disgusted with his physical appearance, which he had the displeasure of looking at with the aid of a mirror shortly after he, Hajime, Akane and Sonia reacquainted themselves with each other. His expensive pin-striped suit was crumpled and bloodstained, and his hair had grown out a little, becoming rugged and shaggy. He'd lost so much weight that he could see the outline of his own hand and feet bones, and his pants barely even fit him anymore. While he was organising a new set of clothes for him, Makoto had to get clothes that were twice smaller than his usual size.

But what infuriated him the most was the blue eye he had - the eye that wasn't even his own. He couldn't see out of it at all, and it hurt like hell, and the very fact that it was her eye was nausea-inducing. Thus, despite the protests of his friends and the Future Foundation members, one of the first things he did after waking up was to gouge that eye out himself. It was an excruciatingly painful process, and a lot of blood was spilled on both his hands and the floor, but it was worth it, in the end, and he cleaned up the mess himself. He opted not to wear an eyepatch over the space where his left eye had once been; it reminded him too much of the traumatic events that had taken place in the Neo World Program, and besides, wearing it had always felt weird and slightly uncomfortable.

Upon waking up, Akane, Hajime and Sonia didn't look physically well, either; even Sonia's natural beauty had been tarnished as a result of her escapades and the amount of time she'd spent comatose. They all looked at least two years older than they did in the Neo World Program, and they'd all lost a significant amount of weight (surprisingly, Akane had lost the most). While they'd all grown at least a little taller, Fuyuhiko remained as short as he'd always been, much to his chagrin. But Hajime's changes were the most prominent - he woke up with a long, thick mane of dark brown hair, and one of his eyes was red; a contrast to his other eye's natural colour, hazel. He explained that while Izuru Kamukura was still part of him, his original and true identity, Hajime Hinata, was still dominant, and he reflected this by cutting his hair and restoring it to his original hairstyle. This relieved Fuyuhiko, and he was pleased that Hajime had managed to return to the real world with them. Likewise, Akane and Sonia were able to get themselves fixed up, and before long they both looked good as new.

They now resided on the real Jabberwock Island, which shared most of the structure and landmarks with its imitation in the Neo World Program; however, only the hospital was functional, and, as expected, all of the Monokuma and Monomi monuments and tributes were gone. The survivors slept in the real-world counterparts of the very same cottages they resided in inside the simulation, although the lack of personal mementos and decorations resulted in them looking almost identical on the inside, so they didn't feel too homely like they did in the simulation. Fuyuhiko wondered if he could somehow acquire a framed photo of Peko and Natsumi to put on his nightstand - it was highly unlikely, but he could try. Perhaps a picture could be recovered from Kuzuryuu Manor…

They were expected to spend the rest of their lives on Jabberwock Island. They were deemed too dangerous to comfortably return to society, even if most of them had been reformed, and besides, the rest of the world had believed them to be dead. Fuyuhiko didn't even want to think about going back to society at that point - he was the only remaining member of the Kuzuryuu Clan, and there was nothing worth going back for. He was a wanted criminal, even if no one, apart from Future Foundation, knew that he, specifically, was part of Ultimate Despair.

He tried his best not to dwell too deeply on the thoughts of what he might have done while he was in despair. He knew that moving forward was his only option. He couldn't go back and fix what he had broken. But nonetheless, the troubling thoughts ate away at his heart, and the guilt of what he might have done induced silent tears from him at the worst of times. If Kazuichi remembered everything he'd done while he was in despair, did that mean that he remembered any of the things Fuyuhiko did? Fuyuhiko hoped not; him remembering all of the horrors that he himself brought upon the world was bad enough.

When Kazuichi was transferred to the hospital, it was discovered that there had been a programming glitch in the forced shutdown of the Neo World Program - just as Kyoko had suspected. Although Kazuichi's memories of the killing school trip remained, he'd inadvertently received all of his memories of not only his time serving Junko, but also his time as a student of Hope's Peak Academy. According to Kyoko, he was on the fringe of falling back into despair, and he constantly grappled with his memories of events from before the Neo World Program. He often woke up screaming or crying in the middle of the night due to nightmares of Junko, of blood and gore, of the mutilated corpses of his parents. His expected discharge date was unknown, and Kyoko even said that he could potentially remain in the hospital for at least a year. Fortunately, Byakuya had hired a psychologist who worked for the Future Foundation and was willing to make an effort to bring Kazuichi back to good health.

"Why haven't you visited Kazuichi yet?" Makoto asked Fuyuhiko about a week after the escape from the killing game. He was kneeling down over Peko's pod, his eye fixed upon her sleeping face as he pondered the possibility of her waking up one day.

"Why do you care?" Fuyuhiko fired back without looking up from Peko's unconscious form.

"Well, you two did seem to care about each other a lot, from my observations at least," Makoto replied. He knelt down beside Fuyuhiko and tried to look him in the eye, only for Fuyuhiko to avert his gaze. "The others have all visited him already. I think he'll get better faster if you visit him too."

"I've got more important shit to do."

Makoto frowned. "Like what?"

"Like gettin' over my own damn issues!" Fuyuhiko snapped as he raised his head, glaring at Makoto. "I've had a lot on my mind lately, okay? D'you seriously think I can just get over all this shit overnight!?"

"Oh." Makoto paused for a moment. "Do… you want to talk about it?"

Fuyuhiko hesitated. He'd barely even spoken to anyone since he'd woken up. Well, he did have some brief, unimportant conversations with the other survivors, but he'd largely remained silent, especially if it pertained to… any of this. He didn't want to vent about his problems to Hajime, or Sonia, or Akane, because their problems were so similar to his, yet so different, and he didn't want to burden them with any of his troubles. They had enough on their plates.

But… could he trust Makoto? He'd only known him for a few days, and he hadn't spoken to him much outside of asking questions about the real Jabberwock Island and what was expected of him in the future - and even then, he primarily turned to Kyoko for such things. Makoto seemed nice enough, but at the same time… would he ever fully understand what Fuyuhiko had been through? He'd been through a killing game, too, but…

"I just feel guilty as hell, okay?" Fuyuhiko murmured, staring back down at Peko's pod. "I feel like I've made so many mistakes while I was in that fuckin' simulation. Sh-she sacrificed herself because of me. He's damn well gonna fall back into despair because of me. If I hadn't fuckin' broken up with him…"

"Wait, h-hold on," Makoto interjected. "First you were blaming yourself for getting Kazuichi hurt because you agreed to the relationship, and now you're blaming yourself for getting him hurt because you ended it?"

"I…" Fuyuhiko buried his face in his hands. "He's doomed to get hurt either way, isn't he?"

"I don't think so. I understand why you did what you did. You… broke up with him because you were worried that he was going to die, did you?"

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Fuyuhiko raised his head and nodded. "If… if I hadn't done that… d'you think he would've still survived? D'you think maybe he… wouldn't have gotten his memories back?"

"It's hard to say," Makoto said truthfully. "Nagito hadn't truly intended to kill him, at least not him specifically. He just… kind of freaked out after he found out that you guys were part of Ultimate Despair. I think he attacked Kazuichi because he wanted you to break up with him, and he knew that if Kazuichi was endangered to a certain degree, you'd end the relationship."

"That bastard…" Fuyuhiko muttered.

"And as for Kazuichi getting his memories back," Makoto continued, "like I said, we don't know for sure. All we really know is that something in the program glitched out, and something that wasn't supposed to happen ended up happening. We do have a theory, though, based on what Kazuichi's been saying to his psychologist…"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I won't say too much about what Kazuichi remembers, because it is very personal and I understand that he'd rather tell you on his own terms, but… it seemed that he… worked really closely with Junko while he was in despair, and maybe… maybe Junko was more involved with him than any of his classmates."

Fuyuhiko swallowed. "Wh-what? Why… why him?"

"Like I said, it's only a theory," Makoto reminded him. "She could have been equally involved with the others, but we'll never know for sure, because, well… even if your classmates do wake up, ideally, they won't remember anything about their school years or what they did as Ultimate Despair.

"Anyway, what I'm getting at is that she might have used her close involvement with him to her advantage, and in the simulation, she might have had more of an influence over him than anyone else, even if he wasn't consciously aware of it. She might have been able to use that influence to restore his memories at some point during the forced shutdown."

"I dunno…" Fuyuhiko responded uncertainly. "I never really noticed anythin' really… strange about him. He seemed just fine to me."

He recollected the time in the waiting room of the hospital in the Neo World Program, where he'd momentarily lost control of himself, and the only thing he remembered about this experience was the boiling anger that ate away at him. He remembered how Hajime and Chiaki had told him that his eyes were glowing red, that he looked as though he was prepared to kill someone…

"But I think… I think that bitch was influencin' me."

Makoto nodded understandingly. "I can see why, and what happened there is probably the main thing that kind of disputes our theory. On the other hand, you're a very resilient guy, and you were able to snap out of it pretty quickly. I think she knows that, too, so… maybe she was trying to get some kind of control over you, but she gave up and moved on to Kazuichi instead, knowing that you might not even be able to recover your memories after waking up, no matter what she did."

Fuyuhiko nodded glumly. That made sense. He would've taken the brunt of it if he could, and regardless, he still felt as though Kazuichi inadvertently dancing around the line between hope and despair was his fault.

"I think she'd planned a last resort, just in case her plan failed," Makoto continued. "Even if we'd have been able to wake you guys up without any issues, she'd still have been able to influence a student strongly enough that she'd override the programming that was supposed to conceal his high school memories. From there, the affected student would continue where she'd left off in her goal to drown the world in despair. Fortunately… Kazuichi still has hope." He smiled confidently at Fuyuhiko. "Junko couldn't remove his memories of the school trip, and so… he has a chance to return to normal."

"Yeah, but it'll only take a year," Fuyuhiko sarcastically remarked.

"It could be sooner."

"Or later."

"Sooner if you visit him yourself."

A long, awkward silence followed this suggestion.

"D'you really think I could help him?" Fuyuhiko asked, his voice soft.

"Of course!" Makoto assured him. "You guys are friends, aren't you? And besides… it was you who made him stop freaking out. The moment he saw you, he stopped. That's because he remembers his relationship with you in the program, and he cares about you a lot. Besides… he's been anticipating you visiting him for awhile now. I think he really wants to see you again."

"Are… you sure 'bout that?"

A confident smile appeared on Makoto's face. "Like I said, Fuyuhiko, he still has hope."


End file.
